In Tenebris
by riverofmemories
Summary: After discovering a trio of scientific experiments who are the equivalents of dragons, life for Lucy Heartfilia and Levy McGarden gets flipped upside down. Apparently, protecting dragons brings a few others like them knocking and makes things crazy. It doesn't help that some of the "others" are a whole lot less friendly. {Rewrite!}
1. Chapter 1

"I can't believe," a voice from behind her complained, and Lucy spared a look over her shoulder in time to watch her friend struggle up the last of the steps that led from the entrance of their new home to the living room, "that I agreed to live here with you. It makes me feel like I'm some fairy princess that should be wearing fancy ball gowns or something."

Lucy's lips quirked as she nudged the box at her feet aside and went to help the desperate Levy McGarden when she nearly toppled backwards, struggling with the weight of yet another box of books. "You're already halfway to being a fairy princess. I mean, look at your height." said Lucy, grinning as she took the box, and Levy pouted at her.

"Don't be rude, Lucy. You promised to leave me alone about my height if I left you alone about your wealth, and you don't want to know how many thoughts I've had about that since you first showed me this place."

"Don't lie, you like it." Lucy threw the words over her shoulder as she and Levy started down the hall at the back of the room they'd chosen to split into a living room and dining room. The gray stone brick walls, which really did look like some kind of ancient castle, made the hall dark, and Lucy mindlessly mused that she'd need to get some lights put in. They passed the kitchen - a nice spacious room, with new appliances that didn't fit in with the rest of the old building - as well as the bathroom and a closet that would do nicely for storage, and then ducked into the room across from Lucy's.

Levy had barely started unpacking her things, mostly due to an overwhelming amount of books that she had brought to line the several bookshelves they'd hauled up those flights of stairs and into the main floor of the building. But her room was lovely enough, with a large window overlooking the forest that surrounded the stone manor, and Lucy eyed it and the window bench with appreciation. That had been Levy's condition upon moving in: she wanted that window bench.

"I do," Levy admitted, watching intently as Lucy placed the box carefully beside a few others. "It's just kind of big and empty. A little creepy. I still think Gray should move in with us, but…"

Lucy agreed, wincing at the thought of her poor friend. His girlfriend of several years had disappeared off of the streets, like a friend of hers she'd always claimed had, and despite months of searching, still hadn't been found. He'd been struggling, she knew, and no matter what his adopted family did, it didn't make him feel any better. It didn't help that the police had stopped pushing so hard to find her.

"Oh!" Levy suddenly gasped, glancing at her phone. "I have to go, I promised Jet and Droy that I would be at the shop by noon and I'm already going to be late!" Without pause, she bolted out the door, running the length of the hall as she shouted over her shoulder, "See you later, Lucy!"

Chuckling, Lucy followed her out, listening to her slam one of the heavy oak wooden doors shut behind her as she left. She owned the shop, so being late wasn't such a big deal, but Levy wasn't fond of being late.

Lucy stopped at the entrance to the big living room and dining room, hands on her hips as she looked back and forth between the two. Both had to be unpacked still, although she doubted either would take her long. All the two women had was from their previous residences, and Lucy had lived in a tiny apartment. Levy had lived with thousands of books, but not much else.

But...she loved the massive building she'd bought. All with her own money, without any help whatsoever from her father. It _had _been suspiciously cheap, but she didn't mind. Whatever was wrong with the manor, she'd deal with. She certainly had the savings if it got pricey. As far as she knew for the time being, however, there was nothing to worry about.

Deciding her time should be spent unpacking, Lucy headed back to her own bedroom, which had yet to be unpacked as well, and dug a bluetooth speaker out of one of her boxes before returning to the main room. _We should name the rooms,_ she mused, dubbing the one she was in the Common Room.

Within minutes she'd set everything up and with tap on her phone, the music was blaring out of the speaker. Lucy grinned as the room was filled with the sound of violins. A classical song from her childhood, one that she hummed along to and allowed her feet to fall into the familiar accompanying waltz she'd once hated learning. She might have left the pressures of a wealthy life willingly years before, when she had run away from her father and stolen herself the freedom she'd craved for years, but such teachings would never leave her soul. Her mother's gentle words and stern teachings had been implanted deep into her before her own death, and Lucy had decided upon turning her back on that life that she would never, ever allow herself to forget them.

Lucy allowed herself to enjoy the music as she went to work, her mind going blank as she did so, freeing her of painful memories that accompanied the remembering of her family life after her mother's passing. She remembered a sharp blow, which had only happened once, and even sharper words that even now cut her deeply when she remembered how they'd been spat at her.

After a few hours of working, Lucy abandoned her work, physically exhausted and ready for a break. She dropped onto the couch after snagging her phone, draping herself over the comfortable seating, and was scrolling through various social media sources, the music still filling the room, when she heard the door opening and slamming shut over it.

"Levy!" she called after pausing the music.

"What?" her friend called back as she climbed one of the twin flights of stairs that led up to the Common Room. She appeared at the top, her grin seen from across the room by the snickering blonde, who peered over the back of their white couch at her.

"You need to get a move on with your room." Lucy propped her chin on the back of the couch, arching a slim brow. "Look, I did _all_ of this," she gestured to the living room side of the Common Rom, "by myself."

"Brag about it why don't you," Levy scoffed, dropping onto the couch beside her after shoving her legs aside and snatching up a few pieces of candy from the bowl that Lucy had put on the coffee table. She popped a piece of chocolate into her mouth. "I will unpack soon. I promise. Eventually, I'll get to it. I have to get the rest of the books in there before I even think about sorting through them."

"There's _more_?" Lucy whined, thinking of how sore her arms were going to be by the end of moving them all.

"Don't worry," Levy said with an outright laugh. "I've already convinced Droy and Jet to come in and help us with the boxes. They're going to help me organize them, too, since they know what I like when it comes to my books."

"I would hope so, since they work for you."

Levy was the proud owner of Magnolia's only bookstore, The Quiet Place, and was fairly well-known throughout town for it. Though they both had to travel quite a bit to get into the town now, since their home was out in the country surrounding it, Levy loved her shop and vowed to remain the owner for years to come.

"I might take a room here," Levy said suddenly, "and turn it into a storage for my shop if you don't mind?"

Lucy waved her off, shrugging. "Do what you want. It's your house, too, and it's not like we don't have the space, you know?" Lucy paused, considering. "What do you think of renting out spots on the second floor or something? It'd make us some money. You could upgrade your bookstore like you've wanted to for so long."

"I'd like that," Levy said eagerly. Her eyes sparkled at the idea, and she pushed some blue hair from her eyes. "We'll probably have to spend a lot getting started, but we could add a kitchen to the second floor. Mira would help, I bet. She could hand out ads for us."

Lucy nodded in agreement and then thoughtfully looked up. "We should probably explore a bit more first though. We want to make sure there's nothing dangerous anywhere, just in case. We'd probably get sued or something if something went through the floor and nearly crushed someone."

Levy agreed, popping another piece of chocolate into her mouth. "So it's going to take us forever to check each floor. Why don't we start tomorrow morning? Since we both have the day off. I'll take the west side of each floor, you take the east, and we'll meet up the staircase when we're done. If we clear five floors a day, we'll be done within two or three weeks."

Lucy made a face at the thought of how long it would take, but agreed. "How early should we get up? I have a feeling we can get more than five floors done if we really push for it. We haven't finished checking rooms on the first floor just yet, either."

"That's because we've been moving in and unpacking," Levy pointed out. "How about eight or so? Be looking by nine. Make sure to bring your phone so we take pictures and call one another if we get lost."

"Definitely. I'll charge mine up tonight," Lucy promised. She patted the device affectionately. "You should do the same. Who's working tomorrow? Jet or Droy?"

"Both." Levy made a face. "Should we _try_ calling Gray? I know he's upset, but he was showing _some _interest when you mentioned we'd bought the place...it would do him some good. We could invite Erza, too, and maybe make a little pizza party out of it."

"It'd be safer." Lucy yawned, stretching her arms above her head. "If you get lost, at least you wouldn't get lost again. I call Gray. I took Erza out for strawberry cake the other day, so it's your turn to deal with her." They truly loved their friend to death, they really did. Erza Scarlet was a kind soul, who could be rather temperamental and stubborn in some cases. But she was just as enjoyable as Gray had been before his girlfriend had disappeared.

"Fine," Levy grumbled. "Not fair. You know Erza won't let me check out what I want to look at though...she'll be after what she likes. So that means you get the next Day of Cake, you hear me?"

"Loud and clear." Lucy sat up and popped her back. She'd won...for now. Levy would get her back in addition to taking the next Day of Cake. "I'm going to head to bed. Don't stay up too late, alright? I don't care how excited you are about that book you picked up today. We have a busy day tomorrow."

"Oh, alright," Levy said grouchily. "See you tomorrow, Lucy."

"Night!" Lucy said cheerfully. She climbed to her feet and started for the hall, humming under her breath as she ducked into it and made her way to her new bedroom. She paused in the doorway of it, eyeing the violet, golden-streaked sky, stained by the setting sun, through the window in her room and smiled.

She was quite fond of her new home.

* * *

When the next morning rolled around, it found Levy and Lucy shoveling food as quickly as they could into their mouths, eager to get on with the day's planned activities. Both were excited to explore, even as Levy prolonged her eating by doing so while simultaneously balancing a book in her free hand, eyes locked on it. Her hair had been shoved from her face with a headband. Lucy was simply nibbling at a piece of toast that she'd made in the time it had taken Levy to eat three bites.

Impatience crept through her; she didn't like that her friend was taking too long.

"Did you call about back up?" Levy suddenly asked, hazel eyes flicking up.

"No," admitted Lucy. "I got a text from Gray early this morning that Lyon was taking him out of town for a little bit. A breather. And I figured we might as well let Erza be if we can't do teams."

Levy nodded, accepting this without hesitation. With a yawn, she pushed her food away and set her book aside, finally standing up. "Let's get these dishes done," she said, "and then we can finish getting ready and dressed and head upstairs.

Lucy agreed, and the pair went to work, finishing the dishes quickly before heading to their rooms. It didn't take Lucy long to get ready, and she was waiting outside Levy's door, worried that she'd gotten caught up in a book again, before long. She'd chosen simple clothes: a long-sleeved shirt with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows, a pair of older jeans in case she got caught on anything, and some tennis shoes, so her feet wouldn't get sore from walking all day. She'd swept her long hair up into a ponytail, too, to keep it out of her dark eyes.

But when Levy emerged from her room, dressed with a phone in hand and distress in her eyes, Lucy knew that Levy's plans for the day had changed. "I'm sorry!" she wailed, frantically lurching past Lucy for the Common Room. Lucy trailed after her. "I have to go to the shop! Droy just called about a money problem, and-"

"Don't worry about it," she reassured even as disappointment rolled through her. "Don't worry, I get it, just go and deal with it. We'll explore some other time."

Levy threw a thankful look over her shoulder, pausing. "Lucy, you can go ahead and start if you want. Just keep your phone on you so you can call me if you get lost - okay?" She smiled broadly as Lucy perked up and then waved as she sprinted down the stairs to the front door, shouting a farewell over her shoulder.

Lucy shouted a thanks before the door slammed shut behind her, and then turned to look at the Common Room. She put her hands on her hips, eyeing the room thoughtfully. She'd finish exploring the first floor, she decided, and then work her way up. She'd be careful, of course. Some of the upper stories might be more dangerous than the more commonly used main level and second story.

It was a little lonely, Lucy admitted as she made her way down the hall, heading all the way for the back. She stopped in a few rooms, peeking in with curiosity. The building had once been a well-kept mansion that housed the royalty of Fiore centuries before, and she could see it in the dusty decorations. They had a lot of remodeling to do, she realized, her feet clattering noisily against the floor as she finally reached the room at the very end of the hall.

This had been the room that had made her decide to buy the manor.

It was huge, perhaps once a ballroom. And, at the very center of the room, stood a tree. Lucy had no idea how someone had grown a tree that was in bloom within a building, but it was gorgeous, towering hundreds of feet in the air. Its branches reached to the skylight at the very top of the building, and a wooden bench circled its roots, making Lucy smile. She _loved_ this large room. She would have claimed it as her bedroom had Levy not said no.

Lucy wondered if Levy would be up for hosting a holiday party that year. It would be the perfect place for it. She went up a flight of stairs that led to the second story, held at the back of the room she dubbed the Room of Content and then peered down when she reached the balcony that was near them, grinning. There was a balcony to view the tree on each floor - and it had her approval.

She went to work on the second story, sweeping around it. She peeked into each room, using her phone as a flashlight to avoid tripping and hurting herself. It was particularly useful when she came across an old and broken wardrobe that had just been abandoned in the middle of the halway. She hauled herself over it, noting the old servant's quarters which smelled of mold, and thanked the heavens above that the previous owners had kept the living spaces updated and cleaned at the very least, because the rooms up here were absolutely _disgusting_.

By the time she'd almost finished the second floor, it was approaching noon, but she didn't mind. She contemplated going downstairs to get some food, but she pushed past her hunger in favor of returning to the balcony on the second story, smiling up at the tree as she leaned on it. It was so beautiful, truly beautiful. It gave off a peaceful sensation, making the old manor feel safe despite all of the dark, shadowy corners.

"Maybe I should have grabbed a stick to use as a sacrificial twig," Lucy muttered under her breath, and then turned away.

She went back to work. This time, as she picked her way down the second story's hall, aiming for the last few rooms, she called Levy, lifting the phone to her ear. Levy picked up on the first ring. "Everything going okay?" her friend asked, voice muffled.

"Perfect. I'm not lost," Lucy reassured. She looked around herself, making a face. "We have a lot of cleaning to do on the first and second floor. That's all I've gotten to, by the way, yet I feel like I've hiked a goddamn mountain."

"Drama queen," Levy teased. "See anything suspicious?"

"Not really, but I considered going back downstairs to grab a sacrificial twig from the tree in the Room of Content."

"The...the what?"

"The Room of Content," Lucy repeated. "I'm naming rooms, so it's easier to know what we're talking about. I feel content in the Room of Content, so it's the Room of Content. The living room and dining room is now the Common Room, and the kitchen is just...a kitchen, so it can stay that way until we figure out what to do with the old kitchen in the servant's quarters on the second floor."

"Okay...and what the hell are you going to do with a sacrificial twig against the bears hiding upstairs?" Levy asked, amusement filling her tone now.

"Levy McGarden, there are no bears up here in our manor. Anyways, everything going okay at your bookstore?" She started forward after peering into a room, curiously locking her eyes into a door at the end of the hall. Her feet began to move towards it.

"Yep. Droy was panicking over nothing really, but since I was here, I figured I'd take my day off tomorrow instead. Oh! A customer's here, I gotta go. Be careful and I'll talk to you later!"

Levy hung up without waiting for a response, and Lucy grinned and shook her head. She chose to turn on some music, putting a waltz that differed from the one she'd chosen the day prior. She touched the door curiously as her feet fell into that familiar dance, her dark eyes studying the wooden door without a hint of fear in them.

Finally, Lucy pushed it open. She stepped into the small space behind the wooden door, shining her flashlight around as it played the waltz. She sneezed softly as dust motes flew and filled her nose. Swiping at it, she peered around, noting how dark it was. The small space opened up to a series of stairs that led down into an area that was pitch black. The staircase itself was wooden and narrow and when she dared to put a foot on one, it creaked and moaned beneath her feet.

Shrugging, possessing no fear of the dark, Lucy began to follow it.

She huffed softly as she made her way down those stairs; they were practically never ending! She wondered what Levy would think when she showed the stairs to her. She felt as if she'd been moving forever when she finally reached the bottom, and when she did, she shone her light around. The area was stone again, looking very much like a prison cell from a movie, as if someone had built a medieval version of one beneath the manor.

She shivered at the sight of blood stains, dark and old, on the floors and walls as well as the heavy duty metal chains that were attached to the wall. She faltered then, not liking what she'd found. It was one thing to not be scared of the dark; it was a completely different situation to be scared of history, of what might have happened here.

Lucy decided to leave and call exploring quits for the day. She'd have Erza go down there with her at another point. Just as she turned to leave, however, she thought she saw something move in the corner of her eye. She whirled around, heart rising in her throat, the waltz doing nothing to calm her fear.

Fear became sheer terror when something slammed into her like a freight train.

She screeched as she was slammed into the stone floor. Her head smacked it and for a moment, stars danced across her vision, but she cried out anyways when something wrapped around her arm and hauled her back to her feet, shoving her up against a stone wall. Her phone had clattered to the floor, shattered, but continued to play the waltz in a lilting, happy manner. She opened her mouth to scream, but a calloused hand slammed over it.

Instinctively, Lucy struggled to pry the hand from her mouth and nose, regretting that she'd ever set foot in the beautiful yet haunting manor as pain slashed through her fingers when something sharp nicked them. The flashlight on her phone, still working, was face-up, silhouetting the person that pinned her with ease to the wall by her face and arm. She couldn't see their face as they leaned in close, but she could certainly feel the hot breath on her face - feel the mass of heat that seemed to naturally flow off of them - and she could most definitely hear the animalistic growl that filled the air, drowning out the music still escaping her phone.

And she could sure as hell feel the incredibly hateful and piercing glare that rested on her face, as if the owner would rather see her curl up and die than deal with her.

Lucy could barely breathe. Their grip was tight over her face, and she couldn't get air through their overheated fingers. She shoved again and their grip slid. She cringed, but gulped air down in rapid, quick panicked gasps. Her body trembled as she fought the urge to whimper. _There's someone else...there's someone in our house!_

Her eyes slowly adjusted as best as they could to the darkness, allowing her to see just a little better as she stared at the person who'd attacked her. Her face went white, shock crossing her features when she saw the pair of horns that spiraled off of the top of their head. She thought she might of seen a flash of flame in the back of their throat when they began to speak, voice hoarse from lack of use, clearly male, and definitely lethal.

"Who the hell are _you _and why are you down here?"

* * *

_It's time! Mostly because it's September and I got a spike of excitement surrounding scary things and Halloween. :D At long last...the re-write! I've finally figured out a direction to take this, so this'll be updating on Mondays (unless I run out of chapters, and if that happens, whenever it comes out). I'm going to make this way darker than the original, but I'm going to try and keep some of the light-hearted things, like the card games and what not, because I know people really liked those. :)_

_Thank you to all of those who read the original and are reading this now for your patience, and welcome to new readers of IT! I hope you're ready for one hell of an interesting ride, because I'm just as clueless as before despite having a direction and we'll see where this goes. _


	2. Chapter 2

Lucy couldn't formulate a response. She trembled too violently to even think of what she might say to the creature before her - creature, for she didn't think he was human. Sharp talons dug a little into her arm when she didn't answer and she finally somehow managed to stammer out in a shaking voice, "Lucy. I was...this is my house. I was looking around."

A bark of laughter escaped him, and then a snarl. "Don't lie to me."

"I'm _not_," she breathed. "I'm telling the truth. I...I bought this house, Levy and I. A few days ago. We've...we've been moving in for days. I promise," she added with a near hysterical whimper when those talons dug into her arm hard enough to draw blood that trickled down her flesh. "Please. I promise."

"Promises mean _nothing_," he retorted, and then paused, looking over his shoulder when there was a sudden bark of "_Salamander!_"

He stilled. A sound of annoyance left his mouth and he glanced over his shoulder at something Lucy couldn't see. Lucy shuddered in terror. There was another? How long had these people been down here? Did the previous owner know? She was going to have some rather sharp words with the realtor, if she got out of this alive. And with the fury that was practically radiating off of the man before her, that was a very big _if_. Lucy said nothing, not daring to try anything as the man grumbled under his breath, "Iron-loving-"

He couldn't finish his insult before there was a third voice trilling in a very bird-like way, sounding incredibly close and horrified, "_Natsu_, what are you _doing_?!"

He scoffed, pulling away, and Lucy stared at the darkness in utter horror. That third voice was a _child_, no more than a young teen! What the hell was going on?! She said nothing, staring up in terror at the silhouette before her. The second, the one that had shouted at the man the third had labeled Natsu, sounded much closer when he snapped, "What the fuck, Natsu?"  
She watched, shaking, as a hand - metal glinting along an arm - reached down and plucked up her shattered phone. The person turned so they could see the screen, illuminating their face. He looked even more terrifying than she'd thought, shadows cast over his face. Piercings and scales littered his face, and he narrowed his eyes as he made her music stop, leaving only voices echoing in the darkness as he growled, "Are you _trying_ to get us noticed?"

"She's the one who came down here uninvited," Natsu said crossly. She flinched when he snapped his jaws, teeth clicking loudly.

"It doesn't mean you should hurt her," the third person scolded, voice soft with innocence. Female, Lucy noted. Definitely a girl. Soft hands suddenly brushed over her hands and Natsu growled deep in his throat as he shifted to watch. "Oh, shush," she snarled up at him, near Lucy's ear. Lucy jolted. "She's clearly not going to hurt us."

"Doesn't matter," Natsu retorted, sounding even more agitated. "She knows we're here now, we can't just let her waltz her ass back upstairs and tell everyone about us. Zeref said-"

"Zeref," the second man said coldly, voice full of a desire for death, "can go fuck himself."

"Language," the girl chided before addressing Lucy. "We're sorry about Natsu. He's just a little protective of us." She patted Lucy's arm, and Lucy flinched when something sharp skimmed her skin. "Did he hurt you? Are you okay?"

Lucy's lips parted as she forced herself to come to the final conclusion that someone - no, three someones - had been living in her basement for the last...well, she wasn't entirely sure how long they'd been down there. "Who _are _you people?" she burst out, her voice shaking.

The second person snickered. "Wouldn't you like to know?" he drawled.

The third ignored him, as she seemed to do quite often, and said gently to Lucy, "I'm Wendy, and these are Gajeel and Natsu." Lucy noted that; the second man was Gajeel, the one who'd come after her Natsu. "And I really am sorry about Natsu. We haven't seen anyone down here in a long time, and before that, only one person, so…"

Lucy licked her dry lips, her head spinning. "How long?" she managed to get out. "How long have you...how long have you been down here? Why are you down here? What are you?" The questions were spilling out of her now. She heard Natsu utter a disgusted snarl while Gajeel growled suspiciously at her - no, not at her, she realized a moment later, at Natsu, whose eyes reflected like a cats as he stared hatefully at her.

"Can you make some light, Natsu?" Wendy asked sweetly. She must have had the two men wrapped around her finger, Lucy guessed, because he grumbled but did it and as flame lit the space around them, Lucy could do nothing but stare.

She'd known they were odd, inhuman. But to see it entirely was horrifying.

Wendy was the least terrifying of them all, with feather-like structures sprouting from bony wrists and ankles, nearly snow white but slicked with dust. There were larger wing-like feathers at her shoulders, tangled in a mass of lilac hair that seemed to bristle like the fur of a cat as she studied Lucy with wide brown eyes.

Behind her was who Lucy assumed to be Gajeel. He could have appeared normal despite the piercings dotting his face and arms, with long black hair and abnormal crimson eyes that she could get used to. But iron-like scales covered every inch of his skin and the hesitant glower on his face told her was as ready as Natsu to defend Wendy, his fingers curled into loose fists, one still wrapped around her broken phone.

And then there was Natsu. His teeth were bared, his near glowing red eyes never leaving her for an instant. Various patches of red scales appeared on his skin, with no certain order or pattern to them. Curling from his head were a pair of horns, jagged, black, and so sharply pointed that Lucy was certain they could have cut her. His mess of pink hair only added to his odd appearance.

At first, she only took in their looks. But, as she looked closer, other realizations struck her. Realizations that she thought were far more important. They were dressed in rags. Wendy looked as if she belonged in a fantasy show, dressed in a sack that might have once held potatoes. Natsu and Gajeel weren't any better off, dressed in what might have once been sweatpants but were now torn and covered in grime and dirt like the rest of them. And all three were clearly hungry, their bodies showing off each and every bone, their faces gaunt. Wendy's arms were so thin Lucy felt like one wrong move would break them.

The next question that came from her lips came unbidden, but she still meant it all the same: "Would...would you like something to eat?"

* * *

Getting the three out of her basement and into the upper parts of the mansion was a rough process that took nearly two hours in itself. Wendy was willing to follow Lucy up that massive flight of moaning, creaking wooden stairs. Gajeel was eager enough to get out of the dark and would trot ahead, seeing with ease in the dark, before retreating back to rejoin them, reluctant to leave Wendy alone with her.

Natsu was the one who produced a challenge. He was reluctant to leave the basement, his teeth clenched and his eyes flashing uncertainly as he took the stairs one at a time. He moved slowly, pausing every now and then, flinching when a loud creak was heard. Lucy watched every movement carefully and guessed that they'd been punished previously for coming up those stairs, because Wendy flinched sometimes, too. Only Gajeel was relaxed, and Lucy found herself noting several differences between he and the other two.

For one, he'd known how to work her phone just fine.

Finally, they reached the top and Lucy led them out of the darkness and into the light that filtered in from a window at the end of the hall, coating the hallway in light. She wondered if Levy was home yet, wondered how she'd explain to her short friend what was going on. Gajeel stepped out after her, nudging past Wendy, and Lucy glanced back in time to see him inhale sharply, eyes scanning every inch of the area around him. Wendy peered around him, clutching his arm nervously and squinting at the light. Natsu remained in the shadows, growling low in his throat.

Lucy gave them a moment to acclimate and then gestured for them to follow. "Come on," she said, amazed that she was calm enough to speak to them like she would everyone else. Answers would come later, when they realized she wasn't going to throw them to the wolves - because she wasn't. Others might have called the police, reported this. But who knew what would happen if she did that? "We live on the main story of the house, downstairs."

Natsu stared harshly at her. "'We?'" he echoed.

"My friend Levy McGarden lives here, too," Lucy said, heading towards the end of the hall, where the flight of stairs resided. They trailed behind her in a line, Wendy between the two men, as if they were ready to protect her from whatever horrible thing Lucy was going to do. "Just the two of us. I mentioned it, I think."

"This place is huge," Gajeel muttered. "Why the hell aren't there more?"

Lucy shrugged. "Because we didn't want there to be? And no one else we're friends with wanted to move, they were happy with where they are." She was grateful for that. Imagining Erza Scarlet come across these three...if Natsu had shown his teeth to her like had to Lucy…

Lucy wasn't sure he'd live to tell the tale, mutated monstrous creature or not.

She took them down to the main story. Wendy continued to cling to Gajeel, Natsu keeping close to her. They all paused at the bottom of the stairs, three sets of eyes lifting to study the beautiful green-leafed tree that stood beneath the skylight within the Room of Content. Lucy watched them closely, particularly Natsu, who took one look at tree and then scowled, turning his face away. She was surprised when she thought agony flickered across his features before disappearing. Gajeel wore no emotion on his face and Wendy simply looked sad at the sight of the tree.

"Are...you three okay over there?" Lucy said, hovering in the doorway that led to the hall.

"Of course!" Wendy chirped, flashing her a smile. Lucy blinked, startled. Gajeel merely grunted; Natsu didn't respond at all. Ignoring Natsu's protest, Wendy sauntered away from the tree and went to stand before Lucy with a surprisingly warm smile. "The tree is beautiful."

"I think so, too," Lucy told her, offering a hand and wiggling her fingers. Wendy hesitated before taking it, looking pleased when Lucy's fingers curled around hers. "You're all skin and bones," Lucy said as she led her out. Gajeel and Natsu followed immediately, not willing to leave them alone together. Lucy didn't bother to feel insulted. She knew better by this point.

She led Wendy down the hall, listening to the young girl ooh and ah over various open doors. She stopped dead at the sight of Levy's room. The door had been left wide open when her friend had left. There were books everywhere, stacked in several areas of the room. One side was entirely taken up by them. Wendy's eyes were as round as could be. "I never knew there were so many _books_!"

Lucy grinned. If anything, Wendy would be the one to convince the blue-haired book-lover that they weren't too bad. She continued down the hall and then turned into the kitchen. Wendy let go of her hand to hover in the door frame, the other two peering over her head and curiously into the spacious and empty kitchen. "What do you guys eat?" she asked, opening the fridge. She didn't miss how Natsu's eyes sharpened with hunger, locked on her entirely.

"Anything," Gajeel rumbled. He thought it over for a moment. "Don't pull out too much. This idiot will eat as much as he can and it ain't good for us yet."

_Yet. _As if he knew that she'd feed them for as long as they wanted.

Lucy paused to eye him thoughtfully. "You're different than them," she commented, deciding to start figuring out what was going on. She noted how he tensed unhappily at the statement. "Not with...well, I don't know what happened or who you are, but you knew how to work my phone. And you know things the other two don't."

Gajeel squinted at her, crimson eyes piercing. He studied her closely as she pulled out the remains of a roast from the night before, nostrils flaring as he breathed in the smell of it despite the fact that it had been in a fridge. She stuck it in the microwave and then turned to face him, hands on her hips. Finally, Gajeel said slowly, "Natsu was pretty much born here." Natsu bared his teeth, not pleased that Gajeel was giving out information. "Wendy was brought when she was too little to remember anything before this. I got dragged off the streets when I was old enough for my old man to trust me with heavy machinery."

Lucy nodded, thinking that over. "Then you have family?" she said, turning away when the microwave beeped. "Like, parents and stuff?"

"Yeah," Gajeel muttered. "Wendy, too. They snatched her before she was old enough to remember them though." He said nothing about Natsu, which made Lucy wonder about what Gajeel knew about Natsu's family life before he'd shown up. She paused, half-way through taking the leftovers out of the microwave. _Wait, if Natsu was born here, then his family was the one to do all of this-_

But she said nothing, smirking to herself when she saw their noses twitching like those of a dog. Natsu was literally drooling, saliva gathering at the corners of his mouth as his wide red eyes stared at the plate hungrily. "Don't touch yet," she ordered, remembering what Gajeel had said and going to get some plates. "You guys can't eat too much just yet. You're pretty much starved and you'll hurt yourselves if you eat too much too quickly."

Gajeel didn't look surprised, having said as much himself, but Wendy whimpered at the thought. Natsu remained silent. "That's fine," Gajeel muttered. Lucy decided he'd be doing the most talking for all three of them for the time being.

Lucy dished out what remained of the leftover roast, carefully ensuring that there wasn't more on one plate than the other and scooping every last piece onto each plate. "Here," she said when she was done, deciding they didn't need silverware. It wasn't hot enough to burn fingers - not that Gajeel's scale-covered finger tips would have been singed. And she doubted Natsu would even bother for some reason. She slid each of them a plate, warning them to eat it slowly.

Natsu didn't listen, digging in like a starving animal after sniffing at it a little suspiciously. Wendy, trusting Lucy fully, began to pick it up piece by piece, shoving each chunk of meat into her mouth, watching how Gajeel did the same. Copying him, Lucy thought.

How cute.

Lucy leaned on the counter, arms folded thoughtfully. She watched them closely. Finally, noting how Natsu kept throwing her angry, suspicious glares, she cleared her throat to catch their attention and said slowly, "I'm not...I'm not going to throw you out or kill you or even call any officials about you three, you know. It's weird that I found you in a dungeon, but...I doubt you wanted to be down there. And I don't know why you are the way you are now," she waved at Natsu's horns, Wendy's feathers, and Gajeel's iron scales, "but I'm not heartless enough to blame you and ensure you're taken away and suffer punishment."

Wendy stared at her with wide brown eyes. "You...you're not going to tell someone?"

"Levy, yeah, but she lives here. And I have full faith in her. She's a good person. Just...don't threaten her. She's small, but she has no problems with using it to her advantage, okay?" This was thrown at Natsu in particular. "You guys are more than welcome to live here so long as you aren't going to try and murder us and are willing to help maybe clean up or something."

The three of them sat there in silence, staring at the odd blonde woman before them. And then Gajeel said in a gruff voice, surprising everyone there, "Thanks."

"Thank you!" Wendy quickly echoed and then looked expectantly at Natsu. He was glaring at Lucy outright, as if unable to trust that she was sincere regarding her words. Eventually, however, he muttered an almost inaudible, "Thanks," and Lucy beamed at all three of them - even Natsu, although she knew that he didn't mean it.

As she watched them finish their meal, Lucy tapped her fingers on the counter, frowning to herself. If they'd be staying, they needed rooms and would need...well, things. Clothes, beds, the likes. She had plenty of money to pay for all of that, so she didn't mind. But…she wasn't entirely sure that she wanted to leave them alone in her house just yet. Perhaps she'd just wait for Levy to come home…?

She checked the time on the stove, scowling. Levy wouldn't be home for a few more hours. And she couldn't take any of them out into public…

But, there was still stuff that she could do.

Like help them in other ways.

"Gajeel," Lucy said suddenly, and he glanced at her. "Do you still have my phone?" He shook his head, pointing at the nearby counter. He'd dumped it there, and Lucy reached across the counter to pluck it up in nimble fingers, tapping at it. It was still usable, much to her relief. She'd just have to get the screen replaced soon. She held up her shattered phone and smiled hesitantly at him. "Would you like to try and call your family?"

The meat in his fingers fell back to the plate as he stared at her with sharp crimson eyes. Gajeel couldn't seem to comprehend what she was saying for a few minutes, and then he slowly looked to the phone. Finally, he looked to the two beside him. Lucy did, too, and was surprised.

Wendy was calmly eating, but her eyes were darting up to the older hybrid of sorts. Natsu was glaring at him outright, simply daring him to turn his back on them.

Gajeel rolled his eyes. "What the fuck do you think I'm gonna do?" he drawled to them. "Where the hell would I go, looking like this?" He waved at his scale-clad face. "I just wanna let my old man know I'm alive. He deserves to know."

"Does Wendy have a last name?" Lucy added. "I could try and look for her parents, too." She paused, and then looked to her. "If you'd like, of course."

"I think I would," Wendy said shyly. "I don't know if I want them to know where I am, but I'd like to see if they're alive."

"Done," she said firmly. "I'm going to go and watch some TV...you guys can do whatever you want, just...make sure you stay inside or on the property, okay? Gajeel, when you're done, just bring me my phone. I need to let Levy know I've got a surprise for her."

Gajeel's lips quirked in amusement. Surprise didn't even begin to cover it. "Got it."

They watched as the young woman slid out of the kitchen and the moment she was far enough to not overhear, Natsu uttered in a very low growl, "I don't trust her. Zeref wouldn't have just ditched us like that. This is a test and we're going to be punished again because of it."

Gajeel glanced at the pink-haired man beside him. He wasn't much younger than Gajeel, only a year or two. But he was incredibly aggressive and suspicious, likely to snap at the slightest chance that something wasn't right. Gajeel didn't necessarily blame him. Being raised by the likes of Zeref would have probably done the same to him, although Wendy seemed to have turned out all right. Gajeel guessed that was because of Mavis's input.

"I don't think so," Wendy disagreed, surprising Gajeel. She was fairly attached to Natsu. They'd not spent a day that either remembered apart. "I like her, Natsu. She's like Mavis. And wouldn't we have been punished by now if she was going to be mean to us?" She smiled hesitantly. "And she left that...whatever that is," she gestured to Gajeel's hand, which cradled Lucy's broken phone, "with Gajeel, which means she trusts us."

"I'm with Wendy," Gajeel grunted, jerking his chin towards the girl. His crimson eyes were sharp, thoughtful. "You dunno what the real world's like. Either of you. The fact that she's given me this means we can trust her, Salamander." He showed Natsu the phone. He played with it a little, furrowing his pierced brow. "Besides, look at this. Zeref's _gone_." He waved around them at the kitchen, indicating every other room on the main story. "Like, seriously gone."

Natsu bristled. "He wouldn't have just left-"

"Natsu, when the fuck are you going to get it through your thick skull?" Gajeel retorted. "The bastard doesn't give a damn about you, or Wendy, or me. We were playthings for him. He got bored and left us to starve to death in that dungeon. We'll be way better off as long as he decides to not come back."

"He's my brother," Natsu muttered stubbornly. "He cares."

Gajeel sighed heavily. "He wouldn't have done this," he said, suddenly jabbing at a red-scaled patch on the other man's face, "if he'd cared, Natsu. You don't get it. Family...they shouldn't experiment and hurt the people they love." He didn't usually talk about such things, he knew. He had rarely even told his father how much he loved him. But he'd thought about it a lot in the time he'd spent here.

Focusing back on such matters, Gajeel raked his mind for a number he'd not had to remember for some time. Thinking he had it right, he pulled up the number pad on Lucy's phone, fumbling with it as he pressed number after number. Wendy stared at the device in awe, never having seen one before and he smirked a little before lifting the phone to her ear as a tone began to play, signaling that the phone was ringing.

It went on and on, and with each second that passed, Gajeel's stomach twisted with nerves. Metalicana wouldn't look at him and turn the other way. He knew he wouldn't. But he was worried that he'd blame his son for the disappearance, ignoring the fact that Gajeel had been dragged kicking and biting off the streets. The old man could be unreasonable about some things, and betrayal - whether it be intentional or not - was one of them. He'd told Gajeel as much when Gajeel had been younger and stupid.

Eventually, there was a beep followed by an automated voice informing him that he needed to leave a voicemail. Rather than doing so, his stomach twisting with unhappiness, Gajeel hit the "end call" button and then carefully tossed the phone onto the counter. Ignoring his disappointment, he chose to finish the meal he'd been given, saying nothing.

He didn't know why he'd expected anything different.

That kind of luck just didn't happen when he was involved.

* * *

_Another chapter! I'm working on chapter six and will hopefully be able to keep up the update schedule, but I have a three-month old puppy to keep an eye on so we'll see. ;)_

_ALSO! Something I managed to forget to mention in the first chapter: the rewrite will follow the original in the first few chapters, but will likely diverge completely at some point. ;)_

_Thanks to reviewers __(Inky-Paws, clem1415, NaluNom, Treblemkr, juststrolling23, FairyTailxFanGirl, Guest #1, jules828, Jazminee18, BearPlusCat, NerdmomDM, Lady Of The Sphinx, Lissuin, AnimusLunari777, and Guest #2) as well as those who favorited and followed!_


	3. Chapter 3

When the time came to head home after her long work shift, Levy groaned softly in relief and eagerly did so, closing up her bookshop hastily before practically racing for her car before her friends could drag her back into it. She loved them, as well as her shop, but _damn it_, she wanted to explore her house! It took her a surprising small amount of time to get home and when she did, she stepped out of her car with determined hazel eyes.

_"I'm not coming in tomorrow,"_ she'd told Droy and Jet firmly, a threatening look on her face. _"I'm helping Lucy move everything into our house and if something happens...I'm putting you two in charge of it. You get to deal with it."_

She understood her two friends wanted to hang out with her constantly - and honestly fight for her attention with one another - but they got really tiresome some days. She loved them, but she needed one hell of a break.

She heaved one of the massive double doors open, and then climbed one of the double flights of stairs that led to the front doors. Once in the main area, Levy peered left and right, seeking out her golden-haired friend. Relief crossed her features when she saw Lucy sitting comfortably on the couch, eyes locked on the TV. "Lucy!" Levy said as she crossed the wooden floors. Lucy shifted on the couch, sitting up so she could peer over the back of it with tired brown eyes. Levy frowned a little. There was dirt and grime _all_ over her…

"What happened?" Levy demanded, hands on her hips.

"Nothing," Lucy said hastily. She sat up quickly and smiled broadly. Something about her radiated nervousness and Levy found herself suspicious, her eyes narrowing as Lucy spoke again. "I just...I have something important to talk to you about. Really, really important."

There was something about the way she was looking this way and that, eyes darting around-

"Is everything okay? Are we in trouble? Is someone in the house?" Levy fired off.

"No," Lucy said, "but-"

"No emergency?"

"Not really, but-"

"Then give me two seconds," Levy said, winking at her as she strode off for her room. She knew it was still full of unpacked boxes of books, which meant it'd be a challenging finding somewhere to put her purse and jacket so she wouldn't lose either, but she wanted to do it. "I'll be right back." Lucy called her name desperately, racing after her with a desperate gasp. Levy was surprisingly quick for someone with legs as short as she had, however, and ducked into her room.

It didn't take her more than a few minutes to dump her things in the bedroom. Lucy hovered in the doorway, biting her lip and looking over her shoulder every few seconds. "Okay," Levy said, ducking past her, eager to get something to eat as Lucy told her what was wrong. Realizing where she was heading, Lucy tried to stop her. "What is it that you need to-"

Levy took one step into the kitchen and stopped dead in her tracks. The three lined up at the counter with bowls of cereal stopped eating to simply stare at her, shocked. There was complete and utter silence as everyone but Lucy comprehended what was happening and that there was someone new before them. And then Natsu was bristling, the spoon Gajeel had been making him use dropping into the bowl and a growl ripping from his throat. Levy turned as pale as a ghost.

"I didn't say you could raid our food," Lucy said weakly as she slid into the kitchen, face in her hands.

"We were hungry," Natsu snapped back, and Wendy smiled sheepishly, apologetic about it. Gajeel was eyeing Levy with curiosity and wariness.

"You should have still _asked_," Lucy muttered. "This is my friend and the co-owner of the house, Levy McGarden, and Levy, these are Natsu, Wendy, and Gajeel." She pointed to each in turn.

"Oh," Levy said faintly, looking like she was going to pass out. "Lucy-"

"I found them in the basement, which is suspiciously like a dungeon by the way," Lucy said hastily, eager to get the story out before Levy could panic too much. "I don't know what happened to them or how they got down there, but they were starving and they didn't seem too bad, so I said they could stay here."

"_Lucy_," Levy repeated, this time pleadingly. "You can't just...you didn't...what the hell _are_ you?" she rasped to the three before her, her hazel eyes full of fear.

"You're a rude shrimp, ain't ya?" Gajeel said, squinting at her. She flushed with anger and he smirked, propping his elbows on the counter as he showed her his sharp and pointed teeth. She paled again. "Doesn't matter what we are."

"It kind of does," Lucy admitted under her breath and then said pleadingly to Levy, "Come on, Levy, they're not so bad. I mean, it looks like they've devoured the entirety of our food, and Natsu kind of considered killing me, but...they're not so bad-"

"Are you _insane_?" Levy screeched. "You found three...three...whatever they are, people, I guess, in our basement and instead of calling the police or thinking that they might possibly kill you - which one of them apparently did - you invite them up to eat our food and stay with us?"

"...yes?" Lucy said faintly, grateful that the three she'd invited to live with them had the good sense to stay quiet and not say anything about it all. Natsu had continued to growl, but Wendy had shushed him, encouraging him to at least drop the growl's volume so Lucy could try and keep them there. "Levy, please, I swear they're not all that bad. They just...look different. And Natsu's kind of rude, but the other two are entirely fine."

"I'm right here," Natsu snarled irritably, scowling at the blonde-haired woman.

Gajeel grunted suddenly. "We ain't some freaks of nature, shrimp lady." Levy glowered at him. As if thinking that she was giving him such a look for what he'd said and not what he'd call her, he added, "I mean, maybe we kinda are, but I was born in Magnolia."

"You were?" Lucy asked, curious. "Huh. In any case, they're not bad people, Levy. Please?"

"Please _what_?" Levy demanded. "Lucy, these people could turn around and kill us."

"We're _right here_," Natsu huffed, looking offended. "Seriously. Do you think we're deaf or something?"

"They promise not to kill us," Lucy said, looking at Gajeel, Wendy, and Natsu. "Don't you?" Gajeel shrugged; Wendy nodded. Natsu merely wrinkled his nose, as if contemplating. "Natsu," she said warningly, "if you want food, you'll promise not to kill us."

"Fine," he spat. "I promise not to kill you."

"Natsu's good with promises," Wendy said cheerfully, her brown eyes twinkling cheerfully. "He's never broken a promise."

"That's reassuring," Levy muttered bitterly before putting her hands on her hips. "If you tell me what happened and how you ended up down there," Levy told the three, ignoring Lucy's plea. "I'll consider it, depending. I don't care if you think I'm being rude. Lucy's too trusting and one of us has to keep an eye out for our safety."

Gajeel clenched his jaw, working it furiously for a few minutes before he said, "We don't know a lot about what they were trying to do, but I told the blondie there that I was dragged in off the streets. Wendy was stolen as a baby, and Natsu's brother is the one behind it all." Natsu glared at Gajeel for saying such a thing. "We lived down there. Zeref fed us a few times a day. And he gave us injections. They did this stuff." He indicated himself, the scales that decorated his flesh. "That's all we know."

Levy stared him down, looking surprisingly intimidating despite her small size as she narrowed her eyes. Finally, she said evenly, "They can stay, but if they do _anything_ to put either of us in danger, I'll kill them myself, are we clear?" This was said to all of those in the kitchen with her and everyone was hasty to agree. Even Natsu grudgingly gave a quick nod.

"Thank you!" Lucy breathed, looking relieved. She ran a hand through her hair. "On that note, can I leave you here with them so I can go and buy them some clothes? I mean, look at what they're wearing." She wrinkled her nose at the outfits they supported. Wendy looked as if she was wearing a potato sack.

Levy's shoulders tightened. "Fine," she grumbled, "but you better not take too long. And go and get some more groceries while you're out. I'm going to have to multiply tonight's dinner by several servings."

Lucy flashed her a grin and then told the three new residents, "Feel free to go wherever you want in the house. If you find anything odd, let us know, okay? And you can pick your own rooms. There's plenty on each floor, we'll just have to make sure to fix them up. I'll let you pick your own furniture and stuff when I come home, on the computer." Her eyes were glazed over with thought as she sauntered away, her hands clasped behind her back.

Wendy looked inclined to follow the blonde, already quite fond of her, but instead, she forced her attention onto Levy, who was still eyeing them with suspicion. Determined to ensure that Levy liked them just as much as they liked each other, she hopped over to join Levy. She flinched at the sudden proximity, but didn't say anything as Natsu gave her a look that promised violence should she hurt Wendy in any way.

"Miss Levy?" Wendy said politely, and Levy blinked at her. "Would you help me pick out a room like Lucy said?"

"Levy," she corrected, "and...uh, sure. Why not?" She turned on her heel and ducked out of the kitchen, muttering to herself under her breath about how insane all of this - and she - was. Wendy sauntered after her. Not willing to lose track of the girl he'd been around consistently since the second she'd arrived, Natsu scrambled after them. Wendy smiled happily at the fact and took his hand.

Gajeel watched them go, wrinkling his nose.

He hadn't expected for Levy to be more reluctant than Lucy. Nor had he expected the attitude. He found he somewhat liked it.

* * *

Levy supposed that Wendy wasn't so bad. Natsu wasn't either so long as he kept his mouth shut. They sort of explored rooms that Lucy had all ready gone through, Wendy gasping at the sight of a room near the Room of Content (as Lucy had called it). It was large and full of light, with a massive window. Wendy had asked if she could sleep in it, that she'd help where she could to make up for it. Levy smiled and told her she could have it.

Natsu immediately claimed the room beside Wendy's. Gajeel, when he finally joined them, licking his lips free of any food and drink, took the one across the hall from Wendy.

After they'd picked their rooms, Levy decided to take over Lucy's plan and reluctantly start shopping for them. She went through them one by one, choosing standard necessities that they would need for their rooms, such as bed frames and dressers. She decided Lucy could put her information in when she got back; if she wanted them to stay, then she could pay for everything. Besides, though she refused to use the money from her family as much as possible, Lucy had plenty to spend on them.

When she'd found everything necessary, she waved Wendy over. Wendy, in the midst of staring in wonder at the TV, hurried over and gasped at the sight of the laptop in Levy's lap. "What's that?" she asked, her eyes round.

Levy grinned at her, a rare smile that she'd not yet given to any of them. "It's a laptop," she explained, gesturing for Wendy to sit beside her. When she had, she cleared her throat and gestured to the screen. "Go ahead," Levy told her, "pick whatever bedding you want."

Wendy spent the first ten minutes simply staring outright at the device and figuring out how it worked before she finally focused on what Levy was telling her to do. She cocked her blue-haired head, studying the different beddings Levy scrolled through. "Just...pick one?"  
Levy nodded. "Yep. Just pick one."

Wendy watched as Levy scrolled through some more and finally claimed she wanted a set that was vibrant with colors. Levy added it to the cart and then, not really wanting Natsu or Gajeel as close as Wendy was - the young girl was leaning against her, peering excitedly at the different images - had her pick out different items for her two mutant companions as well.

Natsu didn't seem to care, too busy staring at the TV. Gajeel kept his eyes forward, but there was a smirk on his mouth.

They'd been sitting and shopping online for a good long time when the front doors opened. Natsu tensed up, flames dancing along his arms and hands. Levy jumped, staring at him in shock, but was distracted when Lucy's voice filled the air. "Levy, I'm back! Could you get them down here to help me carry everything in? It _is_ technically their stuff."

Levy rolled her eyes and threw looks at Gajeel and Natsu. Gajeel grunted, wordlessly climbing to his feet. Natsu looked downright offended, horrified that she'd make him do anything of the sort. "Go on, Natsu," Levy told him, arching a brow. "She's right. Most of it is probably clothes for you three and if we're feeding your appetite, you need to work for your food. I saw how much you ate and even Lucy's money will eventually run out if you eat that much for every meal."

Wendy giggled. "We don't have to eat so much," she offered as Natsu huffed, smoke pouring from his nostrils, only aiding his horns in giving him a draconic appearance. Levy eyed him as he went, watching how he paused to glance at Wendy anxiously before leaving entirely. Out of all of them, she couldn't decide who was the one to keep an eye on: Natsu or Gajeel. Natsu seemed to be surprisingly attached to Wendy, and was the most inclined to violence, but the way Gajeel acted...he was cleverer than he appeared, even knew quite a bit about everything that seemed to puzzle his friends.

Not surprising. It seemed as if he'd been old enough to do many things independently when he'd been taken and put in the basement.

Levy tapped her fingers thoughtfully on the keys of her laptop as she watched Lucy climb a flight of stairs into the Common Room. Her arms were laden with a variety of bags, containing food and clothes. Gajeel and Natsu staggered up the steps behind her. Gajeel was snickering; Natsu was scowling, looking inclined to burn everything he held. Levy took note that both carried far more than she thought even Laxus Dreyar at the Fairy Tail tavern could have carried.

She cocked her head, wondering who would win an arm wrestling contest.

"Did you get enough?" Levy teased, putting aside her laptop when Wendy launched herself over the back of the couch to look at all the new things that Lucy had brought for her. Levy followed her, walking around the side of the couch. She put her hands on her hips as she arched a brow at everything the three were carrying.

"No," Lucy said bluntly. "I bought a bunch of other things for them, too. Toothbrushes, soap, the likes. I even got them each their own set of towels and stuff." She dumped everything in the middle of the Common Room, her eyes twinkling with amusement. "I mean, if they're going to live with us, Gajeel could probably use a hair brush."

Gajeel snapped his jaws in a very reptilian way and even Natsu snickered a little, smirking to himself as he dropped everything in a similar fashion. He didn't hesitate to begin digging through everything, his red eyes studying each object with curiosity. Levy admittedly giggled a little at the sight of his horned head tilting this way and that like a curious dog's. His face lit up with excitement when he came across a mass of ground beef. "Can I eat this?"

"That's _raw meat_," Lucy gasped, snatching it from him. He snapped his teeth at her like Gajeel had, annoyed. "And no, it's for dinner. You can have some later. I bought enough to feed twenty people so that you guys will have leftovers to eat tomorrow, too. Make sure you three don't eat too much though," she added suddenly, frowning at the three. "You're way too thin, you'll make yourself sick...Levy, do you think anyone we know would be able to take a look at them? Make sure they're healthy?"

"Not that I know of," Levy replied, digging through things for food to put away. "That's for you, by the way, Wendy," she added when Wendy pulled out a white summer dress. We'll get your hair washed, trimmed, and brushed out. I bet your hair color is really pretty when your hair's taken care of." She found she really liked the girl, who was so innocently nice despite everything that had been done to her.

Wendy looked flustered, but excited. "I've never had my hair brushed," she mused.

"That means it's gonna be a lot of work," Lucy mused aloud and then took most of the food in her arms to the kitchen. Levy followed her after finding the rest of it, and the pair of women went to work, easily putting food away without a word to one another. When they were done, Lucy said, "How were they?"

"I was teaching Wendy how to shop online," Levy informed her. "Natsu and Gajeel just...watched TV. I don't think Natsu or Wendy have ever seen a TV, let alone my computer or a phone. Gajeel knows how it all works, of course."

Lucy nodded slowly. "Are you working tomorrow?"

"Nope," Levy said, popping the 'p.' "Droy and Jet were told I'm not coming in no matter what. Why?"

"I figured we should probably search the rest of the house, make sure there's no one else that's been imprisoned here for who knows how long," Lucy replied. Levy immediately nodded her agreement. "And I was thinking of having the three out there help us. From the looks of it, they have sensitive noses. So…"

"Sounds good to me," Levy said thoughtfully. "But I'm taking Wendy and you can take the other two." Lucy gave her an exasperated look and Levy shrugged. "You're the one who wants to make friends, so you can have the violent one and the annoying one."

Lucy took on a look of sheer amusement as she folded her arms and leaned her hip against a counter. "You think Gajeel's annoying?"

"He keeps giving me this look that makes me want to punch him, but if I punch him, I know I'm going to regret it because I'm going to kill the hell out of my hand," Levy retorted, screwing up her face in an odd, unhappy look. "There's just something about him that makes me annoyed."

"Alright, alright," Lucy reassured, laughing to herself. "I'll take Natsu and Gajeel, you can have Wendy. I got through the second floor and they were the only ones in the basement,so that means we just need to keep going up. Sound good?"

"Sounds good," Levy agreed. "Now, let's go get those three organized, clothed, and bathed. I like Wendy, but she kind of needs a good scrub...they don't really smell the best, you know?"

* * *

Bath time for the three dragons, as Lucy and Levy dubbed them, for they reminded both of the two women of the fantastical creatures that had supposedly terrorized those in castles with tiaras on their heads, turned out to be just as exciting as originally finding them had been. Wendy had been pleasant enough, but one look at the bathtub had Natsu turning and walking the other way, surrounding his limbs in flames so that they couldn't just simply drag him there. They ended up bribing him to take a bath, convincing him by telling him he could eat as much as he liked at dinner.

Levy crossed her fingers for both of them on that vow.

Gajeel didn't seem to mind the idea of a shower at all, even dressing in clothes that Lucy had bought him without complaint. He picked uncomfortably at the jeans that she'd purchased, and Lucy found herself proud that she'd gotten the right sizes for everyone.

As Lucy saw to it that Natsu wore a shirt - because apparently it was his goal in life to be difficult - Levy helped Wendy wash out and carefully brush out her hair. Despite not ever brushing it, it was surprisingly easy to untangle it. Levy wondered if it was the result of whatever had mutated them.

By the time they were done, Levy had to rush through cooking dinner, but still had it made on time. As promised, Natsu got extra portions, but Wendy asked him to stop eating eventually, and he complied. Levy threw the younger girl a grateful look and she flushed.

After dinner was done and over with, the dishes cleaned up, Levy and Lucy went to work on finding places for everyone to sleep. Wendy was immediately promised a place in Lucy's bed with her, while Gajeel didn't hesitate to claim the couch, leaving Lucy with a dilemma.

"I'll sleep on the floor," Natsu said bluntly. "S'not like I haven't slept there before." He actually looked happy with the idea. He hadn't very much looked forward to sleeping elsewhere, not trusting the comfort being offered.

"No," Lucy said, immediately refusing the thought. "That floor's hard. I'd loan you my blow up mattress, but those horns of yours would probably pop it if the scales didn't."

Natsu grumbled, touching a patch of red scales on his cheek with a scowl. "I want the floor," he said firmly, almost threateningly, as if daring her to put him anywhere else. Levy got the feeling that if Lucy tried to push him elsewhere, then he'd incinerate her, and stepped in to stop any violence.

"How about you two squeeze in with me and Natsu takes your bed?" Levy suggested, not trusting the fiery dragon with her collection of books. "I've got a big enough bed and Wendy and I are both plenty small, aren't we?" She offered the girl, who wasn't much shorter than Levy herself, a wink. Wendy giggled in response.

"That would be fine," Lucy agreed with relief, shooting Levy a grateful look. "Levy and I can go get the three of you mattresses tomorrow at the very least."

Natsu growled under his breath, but said no more about the matter, only focused on Wendy when the girl asked in a soft voice what a mattress was. As Lucy explained the idea to her, Levy became aware of the smirking face being directed in her direction and turned a glare in Gajeel's direction. He looked lazily amused, as if he was merely occupying empty time as he smirked at her.

Levy shook a fist warningly at him and then gripped Wendy's shoulders, careful of the feathered additions, which she thought might be smaller than they'd been earlier in the day, and steered her away. "Come on, Wendy," she said, ignoring the surprising keening whine that Natsu gave, earning shocked looks from Gajeel and Lucy. "Let's get you ready for bed…"

* * *

_Continuing with the similar beginning chapters...but as of chapter six, things start splitting off. That's the one I'm on, by the way. Hopefully I pull ahead before long, or this weekly thing will be leaving as quickly as it started. _

_Thanks to reviewers (FireShifter, stranger1999, jules828, juststrolling23, Lodemai04, DragonflyFriday, valerioux, chelsannful, Lissuin, BearPlusCat, LePengwen, KayRawlinson, Inky-Paws, BanRedfox, and Saints-Fan-12!) as well as those who favorited and followed!_


	4. Chapter 4

"It's so _soft_!" Wendy trilled happily as she stroked her fingers over her own hair, her wide eyes locked on the clean and orderly strands. She couldn't seem to stop. From where she was on the couch beside her, Lucy grinned, amused with the girl's delight. It was so nice to see someone so happy over something's so small. She looked to Lucy with wide eyes. "Is your hair this soft?"

"I hope so," she said, chuckling. Lucy narrowed her eyes at her phone when a sound pinged, alerting her that she'd lost the level she'd tried so hard to beat. She scowled and threw her phone aside with a huff. "Do you like your clothes? I tried to get a wide variety, so you could try different ones…"

"Yes," Wendy said confidently, beaming down at the jeans and shirt. "Thank you, Lucy!"

Lucy had known Wendy for just under twenty-four hours and she loved the young teen fiercely. Wendy was simply good-natured despite what she'd been through, and it was amazing to her.

The previous night had gone surprisingly well despite Levy's concern about Natsu and Gajeel. Natsu had somehow miraculously managed to only ruin her pillow - had even looked a little guilty about it when he'd grudgingly handed it over. She'd not been surprised, but had found herself biting back laughter when he'd looked sad. He'd liked the pillow, he'd admitted. Lucy had reassured him that she'd get him his own set of pillows when his bed was set up.

Most of their morning had been spent finishing up explorations of the mansion. As promised, Levy had gone through with Wendy while Lucy had a surprisingly fine time with Natsu and Gajeel. She'd eventually just sent Gajeel off on his own. She found that she trusted him despite everything that had happened. There was something about him...he was rough around the edges and regularly angry and agitated like Natsu was, but he wasn't necessarily a horrible person.

He was just frustrated - had been through a lot that had sent him tumbling over an edge into self-hatred.

They still had a little of exploring left to do, particularly up in the attic, but Lucy and Levy had both agreed that they could just send Gajeel up there alone the next morning, after they'd all had a nice long break.

As of the current moment, as Lucy and Wendy sat on the couch together watching TV, Levy was preparing lunch in the kitchen with Gajeel and Natsu hovering over her shoulder, eager to see what she was making after the breakfast from that morning and the previous night's delicious dinner. Lucy thought it was adorable when Natsu would come by to check on Wendy every now and then, but kept her thoughts to herself.

A sudden shrill ring rang out and Lucy screeched in surprise at her own ringtone. Wendy merely stared in silent shock at the vibrating and ringing phone on the couch. Natsu practically materialized out of thin air behind the couch, snarling, and Lucy screeched a second time at the sudden sound in her ear. "The fuck are you doing out here?" Gajeel snapped as he came to investigate what was happening.

"Sorry," Lucy muttered, "my phone scared me. Natsu, it's a _phone_, shut up." He clamped his mouth shut, staring at her in utter shock. As if he'd not expected her to pop such an attitude with him. He looked almost insulted.

Grumbling, Lucy plucked it up, checked the caller ID. _Gray,_ it read.

She grinned, delighted. She loved Gray. He was one of two friends she'd had since her years in school and had been there in some rougher parts of her life. She didn't intend to tell even him about the dragons that now lived with them, but she'd had Levy send him a text on her behalf asking for help picking up furniture and other such things if he had time off from work.

"Can I ask why I got asked by Levy to help pick up three king-size mattresses and a couple dozen pieces of heavy as hell furniture?" asked Gray the second she picked up, sounding curious and amused. There was a bit of nosiness in there. She could hear it. He wanted to know exactly what was going on and he wouldn't say anything about it, but he'd hint at it until she gave in.

_Not this time,_ she thought as she settled back against the couch, waving off Natsu when he demanded to know who she was speaking to and how exactly she was doing it.

"We've got plenty of rooms," Lucy said with a smirk. "We thought we'd put in some guest rooms for when you inevitably passed out drunk on my couch again."

Wendy's head tipped to the side like a bird. "I thought-"

Lucy shushed her with a finger to her lips and then gestured for Gajeel to take the pair of overly curious dragons out of the Common Room, scowling when Natsu tried to take the phone from her hands. Gajeel smirked, grabbed Natsu by a horn, and dragged him from the room, quietly ordering Wendy to accompany them. Natsu squawked in outrage.

"The hell was that?" Gray demanded, briefly distracted.

"A duck," she said blankly, spitting out the first word that came to mind.

"A _duck_?"

"How do I sound like a - what the hell is a duck?" Natsu shouted, voice somehow carrying, and Lucy choked on air, stifling her hysterical laughter unsuccessfully. Tears were streaming down her face as Gray demanded to know what was going on. She could hear Gajeel practically howling with laughter in the kitchen, the sound carrying quite loudly through the stone building, and even Levy was laughing. Lucy had no idea what was so funny about the statement, but she found it simply hilarious.

"Who was _that_?" Gray said with interest after Lucy had forced her laughter down, wiping at her eyes.

"Sorry, I can't breathe, hold on." Lucy gasped for air, rubbing her stomach as she cleared her throat. "Oh, my stomach hurts...that was amazing. Sorry, Levy's got some friends from out of town over. They were in the area for the day. They'll be gone by the time we get the furniture stuff situated." She'd have to send the dragons off on an excursion outside, or even just somewhere else in the mansion.

"Sure, sure," Gray agreed although he didn't sound as if he entirely believed her. Lucy rolled her eyes. She'd have to get Lyon to pester him, so that he left her and Levy alone for some time. "What time are we doing it? I've got dinner with my family this evening."

Lucy briefly took the phone away from her face to check the time. "Three sound good?"

Gray responded immediately in a confident tone. "Yep. That's fine. I'll come by and pick you guys up. I don't think those little cars of yours are going to be useful for picking everything up. I'll take Lyon's truck."

"Sweet," she said, relieved. "Thanks a ton, Gray." She paused and then added gently, "Any word on Juvia?"

"No," he said, voice losing any hint of the amusement it held, instead replaced with misery. "See you." He hung up after that and Lucy dropped her phone onto to the couch beside her. She rubbed her stomach, which still ached, and found herself shaking her head as she heard Levy suddenly screech at Natsu about taking food from a pan full of hot vegetable oil.

If this was the start of their new life sheltering three experiments, life wasn't going to have a moment of idle boredom.

Lucy hauled herself to her feet, pocketing her phone. She still needed to replace the screen, she mused to herself. She'd do it in the next few days, perhaps. She strode across the Common Room to the hallway, following it to the kitchen. Natsu wasn't looking as annoyed as she'd expected, too caught up in what Levy was carefully dishing out onto plates. Lucy licked her lips eagerly. Levy was a fantastic cook.

"Gray's coming by at three to pick us up," she said, and Gajeel sent her a sharp, wary look. "We're going to get furniture for the three of you. When he comes, you three will have to disappear," she added, eyeing the feathery structures on Wendy's wrists. "Just to be safe. I trust Gray, but...I think the less that know about you for the time being, the better."

"I agree," Levy said. She finished dishing out food and handed one to Natsu first, figuring it'd be easier to hand out the rest if he was occupied. He snatched it from her hands and made a happy sound as he retreated to the island bar, seating himself there. She gave one to Lucy and Wendy next, and then Gajeel last.

"Why am I last?" Gajeel huffed. "I helped with everything!"

"I want to punch you, but I can't without cutting up my knuckles, so I'm doing the next best thing, okay?" Levy sent him a glare and took a bite of her own plate of food, turning her back on him as he complained that he'd not done anything to deserve that kind of response.

Lucy lifted her eyebrows, watching the pair. Gajeel's lips quirked into a massive, sharp-toothed grin when he commented in retaliation for her words, "That's why you're a shrimp; you can't back up your words," and she rounded on him with a shriek of outrage.

_ Well, well, well. Gajeel has a particular interest in Levy_.

Fascinating.

Not knowing whether or not to support this - Levy had never been on a date in her life despite Jet and Droy's best efforts and mourned the fact as often as Lucy mourned her own lacking love life - Lucy kept quiet. She nibbled at her own meal, leaning on the island with Wendy, who was daintily eating hers while simultaneously trying to not just shovel it into her mouth like Natsu. Natsu was nearly licking the plate already, completely finished with his meal. Lucy shook her head at his antics and focused on her food, listening to the bickering going on between Gajeel and Levy.

"Done!" Wendy declared a few minutes later, and Natsu eyed her cleaned plate with disappointment, as if he'd hoped he'd get to snack on anything that might have been left. Lucy sighed heavily and just shoved what was left of her lunch at him. He eyed her suspiciously, not trusting her, and she just rolled her eyes and took his empty plate, grabbed Wendy's, and went to do dishes.

"Eat it, don't eat it. Your choice, Natsu," she said, cutting off Levy and Gajeel's argument. Both fell silent and scowled at one another, although Gajeel's expression seemed to be more antagonizing than anything. "In any case…" She eyed the clock on the stove. "You three need to figure out where you'll be hiding out in an hour or so. Gray will be by then to pick us up, and I'm not sure when we'll be back with everything, or how long it'll take us to get it all in...do you think we could convince him to leave it by the front door? Gajeel and Natsu should be able to help us get it upstairs."

Levy debated the matter for a few moments. She wasn't as good of friends with Gray as Lucy was, but she doubted that Gray would be as accepting as she'd grudgingly decided to be of two men and one girl who'd shown up in their basement, clearly not entirely human. And knowing how good Natsu alone was at following rules - she'd caught him stealing from the fridge after Lucy and Wendy had gone to bed the night before, and she'd needed some water, Levy doubted Natsu would stay where they told him to.

"I don't think we could convince him to leave it," Levy admitted after a moment. "We managed move in day with our own stuff, but...it's quite a bit of heavy things, Lucy. Without him knowing that we have backup," she jerked her thumb in the direction of Natsu and Gajeel with neither looking all too interested in the discussion, "he's going to want to help. We'll be lucky if he didn't drag Lyon along. Or Erza. And you know she wanted to poke her nose around and explore."

That comment snagged the three dragons' attention. "What do you mean?" Gajeel said sharply. "You didn't say others would be comin' around."

"What did you expect?" Lucy said quietly, sighing. She supposed they had been there first, but still. They lived there, too, now. "We have friends that will eventually wonder why we don't let anyone over, and it _is _a nice place. Imagine it all decorated for a Christmas party or something. People will come eventually, whether you like it or not."

Natsu bristled at the idea and Lucy hastily soothed, "I didn't say that we wouldn't consult with you or would surprise you with people suddenly showing up, but it's going to have to happen, even if we didn't want to have friends over. People just...pop up at random sometimes. You've got to have seen such things if you weren't here until later, right?" she questioned, glancing at Gajeel, who grumbled that it wasn't the point he was trying to make.

It was Wendy's soft comment that made the room go silent.

"Do...do you not have any family that will try and visit?"

Lucy's head snapped around and she stared at the flustered girl, who immediately wrung her hands. "I mean," Wendy continued shyly, "I don't know the people I was taken from, and but everyone has a family, right? Gajeel's trying to find his. We know that Natsu's is weird and not here anymore." That earned a growl of protest from the pink-haired man, though he didn't look too annoyed with her. "You've said you have friends that might come and visit, but...don't you have families that want to visit, too?"

Lucy exchanged a wary look with Levy. Even Natsu was looking between them, completely invested in the discussion now. "No," Levy said after a moment, smiling faintly at Wendy. "We don't. My parents died years ago, in a car wreck." She wasn't sure if Wendy understood what, precisely, that meant, although she wasn't going to explain it if she didn't. "I didn't have any other family alive, so I moved in with a friend's family, who fought tooth and nail to make sure I was able to."

Gajeel grunted, and then turned his attention onto Lucy alongside the other two. Wendy looked as if she'd begun to regret this question. She opened her mouth to tell Lucy she didn't have to say, because she understood the question had been rude, but Lucy said before she could, "Mine...I'm a Heartfilia. My dad and I don't talk, and if we do end up talking, I'm going to need someone to call the police, because it means I've been dragged somewhere against my will."

"What does _that_ mean?" demanded Natsu and Gajeel snorted loudly in surprise.

"You're one of _them_?" he said sharply, eyeing Lucy. She lifted her eyebrows, waiting for him to make his point. "You sure about that? Last time I checked the Heartfilias were more well off than royalty. Did you do something to get you kicked out?"

"Gajeel," Wendy hissed, not knowing anything about what they were talking about but still finding him to be rude. She puffed her cheeks up and then made Lucy jump when she spat _something _that managed to ricochet off of his head and smack into Natsu's before disappearing. Both yelped.

"I didn't do anything!" Natsu whined, rubbing his head and wincing when the horn closest to his hand nicked his flesh and drew blood. "Why'd you hit _me_?"

Wendy grimaced. "I didn't mean to," she mumbled.

"Hold on," said Levy, "pause this conversation, what exactly can you do? I'm assuming he just eats our silverware and doesn't do much else," she jerked a thumb at Gajeel, who huffed loudly, insulted a second time. She threw him a glare. "Yeah, I saw you. Don't think I didn't see you just shoving one of our forks into your gullet. And Natsu's just...sorry, Natsu," she said with a grimace, "you've been kind of obvious with what you can do."

Natsu made a face, looking somewhat confused by what he'd done to earn so many weirdly insulting comments. But Wendy merely shrugged, wringing her fingers again. "Wind," she said softly. "I can command the wind." To prove her point, Wendy gestured with a hand and a small breeze flooded the room, brushing hair from people's eyes gently.

"That's amazing," Lucy said softly, amazed by such a thing. She'd be taking advantage of that for sure; Wendy would be able to air out the place - especially with how much Natsu created smoke that they had to breathe in. "Anyways, back to the topic beforehand...yes, Gajeel, I'm one of _them_. Not that there are very many of _them_. Just my father and I. I ran away when I was seventeen because he was a creep and tried to marry me off. My mom died when I was young, so I moved in with Gray and his family until I was old enough to get my own place. _So_, if for whatever reason you end up meeting Gray in person, please refrain from hurting him. And if you see or hear of Jude Heartfilia poking around, please chase him off without causing any danger to yourselves. He's already made a few attempts at trying to drag me off."

Natsu looked surprisingly bothered by that. Horrified, even, as he sat back and swept his gaze up and down her body in thought, as if debating what could have prompted such a thing. Gajeel merely asked quietly, "How many times?"

Lucy eyed him thoughtfully and realized that he understood that feeling. He'd been snatched from the streets, too. The only difference was that the one grabbing him had succeeded in one attempt while her kidnapper had failed thrice.

"Three," Levy supplied before Lucy could speak. "Once from her old apartment, once at my bookshop, and once at Gray's place. The first two times he came in person. The last he took advantage of the greed of one of Lucy's boyfriends and she got lucky Gray came home when he did."

"I can tell my own stories, Levy," Lucy muttered, though she waved to Levy to indicate that what she'd said was right. "But yeah. Three times. I almost fell for it the last time. Gray showed up and he panicked too hard and gave himself away." She shrugged, as if it didn't bother her. Though it did - and often, too.

"We'll keep an eye out," promised Wendy softly.

Lucy merely offered her a crooked smile and went to go and get ready for Gray's arrival.

* * *

The three dragons disappeared the moment that the door to the large mansion was forced open and a friendly male voice called, "Lucy? Levy? You here?"

One moment, the trio were there in the Common Room with Levy and Lucy, the next, all three were gone. Lucy grinned, whispering to Levy as she went to greet Gray, "Like cats." Levy stifled her laughter as she climbed to her feet, too. Levy and Lucy were still grinning when Lucy reached the balcony and peered down at the front doors. "Hi, Gray," she called, waving down at her friend. He tipped his head back to peer up at her, arching a brow. Even from one story up, Lucy could see the scar that she remembered seeing him get when he was young and had annoyed Lyon. "What do you think?" she asked, gesturing to the building around them. "A little too much?"

"A _little_?" Gray's grin widened before he headed up a flight of stairs to join her. He looked around the Common Room with fascination. "This place is _huge_...and you said it didn't cost too much, right?" He tugged at the collar of his shirt, as if considering the idea of removing it. Lucy mentally made note to keep an eye on that. "The parties we could have in here…"

"No parties," Levy called, waving from the couch. "We've got a lot of work to do before we can have parties, Gray. Hi, by the way," she added with a laugh, rocking to her feet.

"Still. It'd be fun," said Gray without a lick of concern. His dark eyes glimmered with excitement. "It'd be nice to do a holiday party in here especially. You guys could get one of those massive trees in here."

"That's what we said." Lucy chuckled and then put her hands on her hips, gesturing towards the hall. "Let's get the mattresses and then we'll show you the rooms and the Room of Content when we get back." She fought the urge to lift her voice, getting the feeling that the three other residents would hear in some way, shape, or form. They seemed to hear everything as it was.

Gray let Lucy and Levy run to get their things and then they all left the building. Gray paused outside to eye the sheer mass, his head tipping back. "It looks larger on the inside than it is on the outside," he told them. "Even being bigger than normal. Like it's size multiplied on the inside."

"Does it?" asked Lucy, eyeing the building herself. She shrugged. "I didn't notice." She hoped that wasn't the case. They had enough to worry about without a building that was oddly bigger than it truly was on the inside. She turned away and didn't hesitate to clamber into the back seat of the truck Gray had brought. Levy beamed gratefully at her, pulling herself into the passenger seat.

When everyone was ready to go, Gray started the truck, shaking his head.

* * *

"I don't like him," said Natsu as he squinted out the window, watching the trio of people climbing into the odd looking machine. _A truck_, several people had called it. He'd ignored their corrections, not giving a damn what they thought was important.

"You don't like _anyone_," complained Wendy, looking out the window beside him. She'd folded her arms on the windowsill and had rested her chin on them to wait and watch for their new friends to come home.

"That's not true," he argued. "I like you."

"I mean other people." Wendy shifted and then lifted her head again to look over her shoulder when Gajeel suddenly spoke from where he'd been watching them quietly.

"So long as we're careful," he said simply, "I don't think that we need to worry too much about what the shrimp and Heartfilia do. We'll keep an eye on 'em if ya want, Salamander, but I think we can trust 'em. Any other person would have called the cops on us and we'd be back in some lab having more needles pushed into our skin. They seem good enough."

"Still." Natsu puffed a cloud of smoke into the air, his eyes narrowed. "Zeref's gonna come back eventually. There's no point in getting attached to them." He paused, and then shrugged. "Or maybe you can. But they'll end up like us."

"Zeref ain't coming back, Natsu," Gajeel said sharply. "He ditched us. I've told you this."

Natsu's onyx eyes flashed as he stared out over the trees, a spark of interest rising. He'd never been outside - not that he could remember. He wanted to try it. Maybe when Levy and Lucy came back…? "Zeref doesn't just leave," he said quietly, resting his forehead on the glass. "He'll be back. I don't know when, or why he left in the first place, but Zeref will come back."

* * *

_Some new/old family stuff and Gray! For a bit. We'll get some more of him eventually. :) _

_One of my favorite things about the rewrite is that Levy has a bit more attitude towards Gajeel. I don't know why, but I love it._

_Thanks to reviewers (__jules828, LePFairyTailxFanGirl, Lodemai04, DragonflyFriday, CelestialSky, Inky-Paws, BanRedfox, stranger1999, Guest#1, and Lissuin!) and those who favorited and followed!_


	5. Chapter 5

"One moment," wailed Levy as she helped Gray and Lucy shove a mattress up the stairs. It was the second one out of the three they'd purchased, and it was _killing_ them.

"Are you okay?" Lucy asked with sincere worry as she paused, propping the mattress against her shoulder and pushing some hair from her eyes. She'd not thought that mattresses were supposed to be _this_ heavy. She'd expected some problems. Not this level. Then again, she supposed that she _had_ purchased some nice quality mattresses with some of the money they'd saved while purchasing the building itself…

Gray, the one who was dealing with most of the mattress's weight, peered around the side of the mattress incredulously. "You're not even dealing with the weight," he protested. "You're literally just guiding the damn thing up the stairs, Levy."

"And some of us," spat Levy down the stairs almost playfully, "are only five feet tall and have little arms because they haven't had time to go to the gym, Fullbuster!"

Gray flashed her a grin in response and then waved her off, heaving against the mattress until it began moving up the stairs again. Lucy smiled, shaking her head as she shifted back a little to help him push it up while simultaneously trying to guide it, too. It really was too bad that they couldn't drag Natsu and Gajeel out. Even Wendy, she was willing to bet, had some strength hidden away.

"Ha!" cried Levy in triumph when they reached the top of the stairs. "Two down, one to go!"

"And why," said Gray, rolling his shoulders and folding his arms, "are you two buying three expensive as hell mattresses again?"

"Because you'll stay here someday and need a bed rather than the couch?" suggested Lucy, shrugging. "People will get drunk here eventually, and it's much better than shipping them out into the world with car keys in hand."

"...point taken, good choice," said Gray, earning a laugh from both of the women. He rubbed a hand through his dark hair. "Erza and I wanted to come by and take a look around the place tomorrow if you were up for it. I bet you've already explored, but we haven't and it'd be cool to take a run around the place."

Lucy exchanged a look with Levy. The three new members of their household would throw a _fit_ if they were told people were coming over again so soon. But...it would get them used to it. So Levy shrugged. "Why not," she said. "Come around one. It'll take a few hours, and we don't need to go all the way to the top. Past the fourth floor, they all look the same. I took a quick peek up there."

Not really. They'd hunted through the house in its entirety to ensure there was nothing else hiding away in some dark corner. But Gray didn't need to know that.

"Sounds good," said Gray eagerly. "I'll check with Erza, and if we can't, we'll be by someday. Now, let's get that other mattress."

"And you," Lucy said a moment later as they descended the steps, "need to find your shirt." Gray sputtered, patting his bare chest as if confused by the fact that his shirt was no longer there. Levy shook her head, grinning.

It was good to have friends over after the stressful time they'd been having.

It didn't take them long to get the last mattress up - mostly because Levy finally stopped complaining entirely and instead focused on helping to get it shoved all of the way up the stairs. When they were finished, Lucy offered to get Gray something to drink and he gratefully accepted. He leaned on the balcony railing that lined the area overlooking the massive front doors as Lucy headed down the hall, finally fully taking in the Common Room.

"You guys have a really nice place," he told Levy as she leaned beside him, pushing sweat-dampened blue hair from her eyes. "And it was cheap, right?"

"Suspiciously so, although we think we know why that was the case now," said Levy, thinking of the three mutants running around somewhere. She knew without a doubt that they were probably watching from some dark corner. It wouldn't surprise her one bit if they were. Gray glanced questioningly at her and she hastily added, "There's some water damage in the upper stories. A lot of rebuilding to do. It's where most of our money's going after we're done setting up a few guest rooms."

"If you need any help with physical labor," said Gray, "let me know. Ur's always up for physical labor. And it'd be fun if we invited a bunch of people to work together on it. We could have a barbeque or something. You guys have the perfect place for get-togethers, you know?"

"We do." Levy's stomach twisted as Lucy came back, somehow grappling with three glasses in her hands. Gray stepped forward to relieve her of two and handed one to Levy, who lifted it to her mouth without hesitation. Too bad they'd never get to have those events with the other residents in the house.

Gray hung out for a few more minutes, chattering away with Levy and Lucy. Lucy was happy to see her old friend hanging around; it had been some time since they'd done so. After promising to call him about a meet up in town later that week if he couldn't make the visit the next day, Gray headed out, shouting a farewell over his shoulder and promising to keep them updated on his missing girlfriend as the door closed behind him. Levy and Lucy, draped over the balcony together to watch him go, exchanged grimaces.

"I feel bad," said Lucy. "I don't like hiding things from him - and Erza. When Erza finds out we're keeping secrets, we're in for a hell of a time."

"Jet and Droy, too, although there's not much we can do about it without people getting hurt," admitted Levy. She played with the glass in her fingers, contemplating. She stiffened, however, when heat washed over the back of her neck and a cranky Natsu spoke too near her ear for comfort.

"When's dinner?" demanded Natsu, only a breath away from her ear.

Levy squealed, instinctively smacking at his face. He yelped when her fingers caught themselves on one of the sharp tips of his horns, ripping the flesh open. She squealed in pain. "_Ow_!" she wailed, hopping and dropping her glass. It shattered on the floor beneath the balcony a dozen feet down, but she payed it no attention, horrified with the gash along her fingers. "_Natsu_!"

"I'm sorry!" he cried back, looking - much to their surprise - _scared_. He recoiled away, scales rising and bristling like the fur of a cat. Even as Levy glared at him, holding her bleeding fingers to her chest, Lucy stared. He was trembling, she realized, and it took her only a few moments to realize that Gajeel and Wendy were hovering hesitantly in the entrance to the hall. Gajeel had blocked Wendy from entering, gaze darting between Levy and Lucy, though she peered around him with scared brown eyes.

Levy realized that something odd was happening, too, and faltered, closing her mouth. After a few moments of silence in which Natsu remained frozen before them, unsure of what to do, Levy said quietly, "Natsu, I'm not going to hurt you or anything in return. I know it was an accident - and completely my fault."

His gaze, still locked on her, widened briefly in confusion and disbelief. "But-"

Lucy felt a stab of horror as their suspicions were immediately confirmed. She said, interrupting him, "Zeref _hurt_ you when you hurt him?"

"We never did it on purpose," Natsu said hastily, as if worried that they'd kick them out or take back their offer to let them stay in their home for it. "It hurt sometimes, that's all-"

"No, no, that's not my point," said Lucy sharply.

"Lucy wants to know," Levy said, "if Zeref physically harmed you if you hurt him - accident or not, Natsu." He pressed his mouth into a hard line, turning his face away as he clenched his jaw. The sight of the heavy scar on his throat - which he touched upon hearing their words - was enough for them to know the answer, and Lucy exchanged a horrified look with Levy. They took in the full situation, how even after the clear indication that they disagreed with the fact that Zeref had done physical harm to them, Gajeel was blocking Wendy from coming in, as if worried any ire would turn on the younger girl.

Lucy stepped forward, ignoring how Natsu flinched at the movement. She gently poked him until he finally looked at her and said fiercely when he'd met her gaze, "Natsu, we will _never_ do anything like that. It was an accident, like Levy said. You apologized." Natsu didn't look inclined to believe her and averted his eyes again. "And if you don't think an apology is enough, you can go get the first-aid kit from the kitchen - the little red thing that we put in the corner by the fridge - and I'll show you how to patch it up."

"You don't need to," said Wendy softly from where she was still being hidden. "I can-"

"Not this time," Levy interrupted, realizing what Lucy was trying to do. She'd not been too keen originally regarding the three mutants, but no one deserved to live in that kind of fear. She smiled faintly at Natsu. "Go get it, like Lucy said."

Natsu hesitantly looked to her and then back to Lucy. He took a step back, gaze lingering on her, and then turned and darted off to fetch it. Gajeel moved aside so he could get to the kitchen and finally let Wendy out. Wendy slid around him, hovering at his side as if reluctant to get too close despite everything.

Silence fell for a moment, and then Levy said, fully aware that the two nearby could hear, "We can't let them be found out. We can't let anyone know that they're here, Lucy. We can't let them be dragged into something like what they went through again."

"I know," said Lucy in response. She glanced over at Gajeel and Wendy. "We won't let you guys be hurt again. I know we don't know one another well, and that it might be hard to trust us, but we're going to ensure that nothing like that ever happens to you again. You deserve to be happy, too. We're going to make sure you get that chance."

Wendy, fingers circled around Gajeel's wrist, offered a faint smile. "Thank you," she said softly and Gajeel grunted his agreement as Natsu came hurrying back in, eyes still wide with anxiety. The red first-aid kit was clasped in his hand and he stopped beside Levy.

"What do I do?" he demanded, gaze darting to the blood still pooling in Lucy's palm.

Lucy smiled warmly at him and then took the first-aid kit. "Over here," she said, waving for he and Levy to follow her over to the dining table. "I'll show you what to do…I don't think it needs stitches…"

* * *

It didn't take long to get Levy's hand fixed up, and Lucy couldn't help but grin at the proud look Natsu wore even hours later. His attitude had all but vanished towards them - something about him deciding they were okay since they'd not hurt them for accidentally hurting Levy, which just made the two women sad.

At first, Lucy and Levy were grateful for the lack of attitude. He'd asked dozens of questions, was curious about everything and anything, and even helped them haul the mattresses into the rooms the three had picked out without complaint. Wendy had been there the entire time as well, as had Gajeel after he'd quietly disappeared to try and call his father again. When Levy had asked, he'd given her a cranky look that had been answer enough.

No luck.

The lack of attitude had brought a problem, however.

"Could you sit down?" Lucy said, exasperated as she watched Natsu practically bounce around the Common Room. "Or at least stop running around and help me move this box?" It had been one she'd been looking for, full of decorative things she'd like to put in the Room of Content. It would go nicely with the tree that stood proudly in the center of the room.

Levy, overhearing from the kitchen where she was cooking with Wendy's help and Gajeel's nosey supervision, called, "Don't you dare let him burn any of our things, Lucy Heartfilia!"

"No need to bring my surname into it," muttered Lucy under her breath, but silently promised she'd keep him from doing so.

She was surprised when Natsu trotted over and easily picked up the heavy box, not at all bothered by the weight of it. He narrowed his eyes a little. "Where's it going?" he asked. Lucy pointed down the hall, telling him to put it by the tree, and he strode off, horned head tipping this way and that. Lucy watched him go with a heavy sigh, shaking her head, and went to go and dig out the next box, this one intended for her room.

She and Natsu worked on shuffling boxes around - most of them being put in Levy's room and most of them heavy with her books - until Levy suddenly shouted that it was time for dinner. Just as suddenly as Natsu had been nosily leaning over her shoulder to peer at the next box, he was gone. Lucy sighed again, a smile dancing along her lips as she followed after him. He was surprisingly bright and cheery now that he had decided he liked them.

The three dragons were already eating when she made it into the kitchen. Levy was casually sliding two plates further away from them - and Natsu's greedy eyes. Lucy grinned and plucked one away with a grateful hum. "Looks good, Levy," she said, eyeing the ham on her plate.

"It tastes good, too," said Wendy with a beaming smile on her face. She shoved another piece of ham into her mouth and chewed with the happiest look Lucy had ever seen on her young face. Lucy nibbled at her meal, exceptionally pleased that they'd managed to help someone who couldn't have known much happiness or kindness feel so much of both. For the most part, at least.

Gajeel, while Wendy and Natsu happily munched away and muttered quietly to one another, simply ate in a grumpy silence, his face dark with some emotion that neither Levy nor Lucy could place. Levy glanced at Lucy questioningly, still all not that fond of him. Lucy shrugged and addressed him directly about it.

"Everything okay, Gajeel?" she questioned, and Natsu and Wendy immediately paused in their conversation to glance at him.

"No," said Gajeel with a scowl, glancing briefly at her. "Can't get my old man to answer his _damn _phone." He gestured to the still-broken phone on the counter, and Lucy slid it towards her, checking it for messages after realizing she'd not done so in a few hours. She half-listened when he huffed and muttered, "Might have changed his number."

"Does he live in town? One of us could go knock on the door and see if he lives there, or if anyone knows where he went," offered Lucy. She nodded at Levy. "Levy's always out in town at her shop. She could ask a few customers about him, too, if you'd like."

Gajeel narrowed his eyes, as if trying to figure out whether or not they were messing with him. "You go around asking about someone who's been missing for the last decade, you're gonna have the police on your asses."

"True," muttered Lucy, wincing.

"Still." Levy put her fork down with a thoughtful tilt of her head. "What's the address? I'll stop by on my way to or from my shop tomorrow." She supposed she could do that much for the annoying man.

Gajeel debated for a few seconds, unsure if he really wanted to tell them. Finally, he just pushed his semi-full plate aside, rolling his eyes as he watched Natsu snag it for himself. Gajeel leaned back and said sharply, "He used to own a shop. Was a metalworker, really well-known in town for his commissions. Metalicana."

Lucy paused, startled. "I've heard of him," she realized. "My family always commissioned decorative pieces from him for various events. I think I even have a few stored somewhere, if I didn't donate them to some charity auction." She tapped her lip in thought, knowing for a fact she had at least one packed away for her room. Maybe she'd give it to Gajeel - if he wanted it.

Levy looked just as shocked. She blinked at Gajeel a few times, hazel eyes wide before she took a deep breath and rocked back on her heels. "What a coincidence," she mused, "that there's an old metal shop right next door to my bookshop." She suddenly frowned. "He's not there anymore though. I think he moved a few years back. I remember it suddenly being empty and considering whether or not it would be a good idea to purchase the building for extension purposes."

Gajeel scowled, more so annoyed that his father had left his shop than anything. "Probably left the town or country then. Bet he changed his number." Trying not to look overly disappointed, Gajeel propped an elbow on the counter and rested his chin in his palm, crimson eyes narrowed. "Probably wouldn't wanna see me anyways. Was into some illegal stuff when I got snatched and argued with him a lot. He probably thinks I just got myself killed or left without telling him."

"Still, I think I'll ask around about him," Levy said. "Not knowing is worse than knowing. Believe me on that." She swept her hands a few times after finishing her meal. "I'm gonna go unpack a few more books and then head to bed. Are the beds all set for them, Lucy?"

"Should be," Lucy murmured, shaking her head in thought. "If not, I'll help them out. You go ahead."

Levy nodded cheerfully and simply bid them all goodnight.

* * *

Sweeping her sweat-dampened hair from her face, Levy made sure the final box was in place and then stepped back, grimacing at all of the new books she and her employees - more than likely Droy and Jet - would have to unpack the next day. She rubbed her sore hands together and muttered, "I'm never going to be rid of boxes."

They haunted her dreams, she thought as she went to grab her things, locking the door to her shop as she left. She scowled over her shoulder at her shop before starting for the next one over, which was still empty. She'd decided to investigate Gajeel's father after she was done for the day, figuring it would give her more time and freedom to travel around town if need be.

Cupping her hands around her eyes, Levy peered into the empty shop. Even a few years after it had been left behind, it hadn't been touched or even put up for sale, much to her disappointment. She wondered why. She studied the dark space for a while, and then shook her head, retreating to walk to her car, parked in the small lot behind her shop Nothing in there that could be of any use...she'd try and find out what Mirajane Strauss at the Fairy Tail tavern knew. She knew almost everyone in town, and was shockingly good at getting information if it came down to it.

Levy unlocked her car as she made her way over to it, noticing that her limbs felt rather heavy and ached. Blaming it on the constant box-moving she'd been doing over the last few days, Levy thought nothing of it.

Her keys hit the ground just a second before she did, her ankle yanked out from beneath her body. She shrieked in surprise, and then cried out when pain shot through the back of her skull when it smacked on concrete. She instinctively cradled the back of her head, kicking when something seemed to latch onto her ankle.

She squinted through watery hazel eyes and felt something in her go cold when she saw a set of red eyes blinking back at her from the shadows beneath her car. They vanished, and she only gaped momentarily when she saw those same shadows swirl out from under it, crawling around concrete with ease. She scrambled to her feet as they began to take a humanoid form - or trying to, at the very least. They dissolved almost moments later into a shapeless mass.

Levy, fingers shaking, shot to her feet. She danced away to avoid the shadows that tried to catch her again, managing to somehow snag her keys before the shadows could slither after them. Levy swallowed thickly and eyed her car before making a decision. She darted around the figure trying to take shape again and managed to wedge her car door open, slipping in.

A shriek of pain filled her ears when she slammed the car door shut on a fraction of those shadows, chilling her to the bone.

Within moments, Levy had started the car. Instinct had her checking the back seat. Relief flooded her when there was nothing. _Safe,_ she thought, seeing the shadows dissolve again on the ground where her car had been.

Levy tightened her fingers on the steering wheel and finally let a terrified sob hiccup from her, her tears welling over. She had no idea what had just happened, or what that thing had been. She had no idea why it would come after her. There was only one possible reason it could have, and she had no idea why it would have known.

There was one thing she did know, however.

She was going to _kill_ Lucy.

* * *

A hiss filled the air as a figure slid free of the shadows of the alley that led to that strange parking lot behind a bookshop he'd never heard of before today. The growl that thundered in his throat was angry and loud, and he slid into a crouch near the writhing mass of darkness that was a bit wilder than usual. "You good?" he said lowly, staring after the car that had driven off.

Red eyes blinked back at him when they appeared. The shadows took on a decisive human form for just an instant before dissolving away again. _"Fine,"_ rasped a voice from within them. _"A broken finger or two, perhaps, but it will heal."_ He growled again, the sound tearing from his throat. _"It's not her fault. She did what anyone in her position would have done. And it's not like I can feel it."_

"That's not the point," muttered the irritable man, rocking back on his heels. He scowled when the mass of shadows began to suddenly flicker and writhe even more violently than normal. "Calm down, we'll figure it out."

_"I don't like this. There's no need for it."_

"There _is a need_ for it, 'cause if we do this, you'll be fixed up, and we might be able to go home."

_"Might is a big word for people in our situation."_

His stomach twisted, and he sighed heavily, scrubbing his hands down his face. "I know. Doesn't matter what we think though. We have to do it regardless. We'll try not to be too violent about it next time though. You can drag them in, right? If we can get one like that, the other won't know we're coming."

_"It's going to be harder now. I should have tried harder. Or we could have approached, explained ourselves."_

He eyed the direction the car had come, inhaling sharply. A mix of scents he'd not been able to catch no more than two months prior filled his nose, and he easily sorted them until he found the one he wanted. "I dunno. She didn't seem like the type to just sit back and listen to the likes of us." He rocked to his feet, ignoring the familiar weight that flooded his body when the shadows disappeared, melding with his own singular one.

He kept quiet about his singular hope for the end of all this: that he'd be able to stay out in the fresh, open air rather than locked in that dank, damp room where sunlight had never touched. Even if all of the noises of the town and the smells bombarded his sensitive ears and nose, even if the air tasted terrible…

Even if he never saw their missing companion again.

Anything was better than that.

* * *

_I think this is where IT's rewrite is truly branching off. ;) Some fun is about to begin! _

_Thanks to reviewers __(jules828, stranger1999, HellsAngel0816, itsxoi, LePengwen, its-actually-kate, BanRedfox, Lodemai04, Dragonfly2311, CrazyZaika, valerioux, and Lissuin!) as well as those who favorited and followed!_


	6. Chapter 6

The second Levy walked into her new home, slamming a heavy door behind her, she was yelling. "_Lucy_!" she shouted, her voice shrill and trembling despite her best efforts. Her head throbbed and ached, but she ignored the pain in favor of storming up the stairs.

Lucy met her just at the top, her dark eyes widening with confusion and concern when she saw the state of her friend. "Levy? What happened?" she said, reaching out to grip her elbow and lead her further inside. Her worry grew when she realized Levy was shaking, her body quivering beneath Lucy's light touch.

"I'm…" Levy took a deep breath to try and soothe her concerns away. "I was attacked. Outside my car, behind my shop." Lucy's eyes widened. "It wasn't…I don't know what it was. Something bad though. There were all these…these _shadow things_, and eyes and–"

Levy stopped, realizing that by this point, three interested dragons should have been circling. Nosey as can be, they could never stay out of their business for longer than a few minutes. "Where are they?" Lucy arched a brow. "The…the dragons, where are they?"

"Natsu wanted to go outside," said Lucy with a frown. "Gajeel promised to keep them on the property, so I thought it'd be fine. They'll be back by sunset. I thought it'd give us a chance to breathe, figure some things out. Why? Do you think whatever it was will come here?" She paused, eyes widening. "Do you think it's like them?"

"Yes, why else would it suddenly show up and attack me in particular after I've been chatting it up with them?" snapped Levy, frustrated in her fear. She took a shaken breath to steady herself, doubting it would do her much good. To add to her frustration, her hand was throbbing where she'd cut it on Natsu's horns. "Look, we should get them back here. I don't know what's going on, or why something like that would come after me, but–"

"Okay, okay, I'll go and give a shout and see if they come back," promised Lucy. She pressed her lips together. "You stay in here. Sit on the couch and calm down a little. Freaking out won't do us much good."

Levy thought Lucy was rather calm until she realized that Lucy was likely used to things like this. She knew there'd been an attack on the Heartfilia family when Lucy had still lived with her father, and several threats. It wasn't unusual for her, this kind of danger, although Levy doubted she was judging that danger properly.

It was one thing when it was just people with guns.

But the way those shadows had squirmed and writhed was so entirely _not_ normal that it worried her immensely.

Lucy waited until Levy was seated on the couch to dart away. Levy listened to her feet pound down the stairs, and then the door as it shut behind her. There was muffled yelling as Lucy shouted as loud as she could for the dragons that were exploring, two of which having never been outside that they could remember, and then, Lucy was back, rushing for the kitchen to get Levy something to calm her nerves.

By the time Lucy had returned with a tray in hand, complete with several cups of tea, Levy had calmed down enough to speak normally and think things through rather than sit there and panic. Levy murmured her thanks, head still aching, as she took her drink.

Lucy settled beside her, looking thoughtful and concerned. "So…do you think it was another person who's like our three? Who's been experimented on or whatever it is was done to them?"

"Yeah," said Levy with a confident nod. "There's no way it wasn't something like them. It didn't speak, but…there were eyes. I saw the eyes. And why else would it target me?" She took a deep breath. "I was checking the shop next door to see what I could find, but there was nothing there."

"I wonder if whoever it was might have been sent to watch the shop?" suggested Lucy. "I mean, if someone started looking into a missing person whose case was a couple of years old, I'd assume something was up. They don't know where Zeref went, right? Maybe he had someone sent out to watch."

A chill ran down Levy's spine at the thought. "I don't want to be involved in something like that, Lucy. I won't become part of some twisted person's experiment."

"Neither will I, and we won't let the others continue to be hurt like that either," said Lucy confidently. "I'll go to my father if I need to, in exchange for ensuring you four are kept out of danger. I'm not selfish enough to not."

Levy stared at her anxiously, not liking the thought at all. Lucy had left her father and the wealthy life behind for a reason. She'd heard some of the stories that Lucy had told about what it had been like after her mother had died, and the idea of Lucy going back to a life she'd hated so much, simply so they'd be safe…

"Lucy," she murmured, but Lucy looked over the back of the couch when the doors suddenly opened and Wendy came tripping up the steps, looking curious.

"We heard you yelling for us?" she asked, tipping her head. Her cheeks were flushed, eyes sparkling, as if she'd been enjoying herself despite all of the scratches on her skin and tears in her clothes. Her hair stuck up all over the place and – Levy blinked. It was more than definitely a few shades darker than it had been that morning, and the feathers that sprouted from her flesh…

They were diminished, smaller and even as Levy watched her now, a singular feather fell to the ground by her feet.

Levy opened her mouth to say something about it, startled, but Lucy interrupted. She rocked to her feet and said, "Levy was attacked out behind her shop in town. We think that it might have been someone who's like you three."

Wendy's brown eyes widened anxiously. "Will they come here? Was it Zeref?" she squeaked, immediately wringing her fingers. Her face had lost its liveliness. "Will…will he come back?"

"No," said Lucy firmly. "And if he does, he won't get anywhere near you, Gajeel, or Natsu, Wendy."

Levy wasn't sure it was a good idea to make such promises, but kept her mouth shut on the matter, not wanting to upset the young girl. Wendy debated, glancing back, and then said, "I'll go tell Gajeel and Natsu. They're waiting outside." She hesitated, and then added hopefully, "If one of them stays, can I go back outside with who doesn't? It's fun."

"Sure," said Levy when Wendy looked to her for permission. "Just…be careful while you're out there, okay, Wendy?"

Wendy beamed and then darted back down the stairs, but Levy didn't miss the fear in her face. When the door closed behind her, Lucy said lowly, "She's so young…I wonder if there's some way we could get her away from Magnolia. To somewhere safe."

"Who'd take her?" said Levy with a heavy sigh. "Who the hell would you trust to keep quiet about her, Lucy? I don't know anyone. All of our friends wouldn't know how to keep their mouths shut."

"I don't know, some of the might. Erza would." Lucy put her cheek on her arm, which she'd slung over the back of the sofa. Her feet fidgeted on the cold wooden floors. "I really think she would. She's always been serious. But…I don't think Natsu would leave, and we can't split them up. Natsu mentioned he's never been apart from her for more than whatever Zeref kept them apart for. I think he'd have a break down."

"You're very in tune with them," Levy said a little sharply. "Lucy, you do know what will happen if something goes wrong, right? You're going to get hurt." She didn't mind the dragons; she even liked them. She just…wasn't entirely sure how she felt about Lucy's lack of taking care of herself. It wouldn't end well if she wasn't careful.

Lucy frowned, not entirely happy with her friend's attitude surrounding everything. "So? I'll get hurt helping someone who needs the help." Shrugging Levy's words off, she turned back to look over the couch when the door closed again and Natsu came sprinting up the steps, his eyes wide with interest.

Panting slightly, he said, "Wendy said Levy got attacked?"

Lucy retold the story for Levy, while Levy simply studied him, even more interested than she'd been before. Enough so that she suddenly interrupted, "Natsu, come here for a second, would you?"

Natsu eyed her warily and suspiciously, lightly treading closer. When he was close enough, Levy squinted at him for a moment and then scanned him with her eyes. Finally, she said, "Huh. It's not just Wendy then…did you notice your horns were a little smaller?"

"They _are_?" Natsu's eyes widened in worry, and he reached up to touch one hesitantly.

"Now that you mention it," murmured Lucy, brown eyes wide with surprise. "They _are_. And Gajeel even had some skin showing this morning. On his wrist."

"Wendy was losing feathers," Levy added with a nod, pointing to where a feather still lingered. She tipped her head to the side, fascinated despite everything that was happening. Natsu continued to prod at his horns, curious, and then suddenly focused on her, his eyes sharp.

"What happened? Wendy said you got attacked by some kind of monster like us?"

"First of all, you three aren't monsters," Lucy corrected, "you're just people who got dragged into a situation that's anything but pleasant." Levy agreed, despite her worry about what would happen if people found out about what kind of people lived in their house. "Secondly, do you know of anyone else like you guys?"

Natsu wrinkled his nose, glancing over his shoulder. Levy was willing to bet Gajeel had taken Wendy back out and Natsu, who kept taking sneaky looks at her bandaged hand, had decided to remain back simply because he still felt bad about hurting her. "No. S'only us three."

"I don't think we should rule out the idea," Levy said quietly, "that Zeref continued his work after he left here. We don't have a single idea on where he went."

Natsu's jaw clenched as he scowled, and Lucy threw him a sympathetic look. It was, after all, his brother they were discussing, and no matter how badly Zeref had hurt him, he clearly cared for him regardless. Yet…at the same time, his brother did seem to be a bit…well, off was a good way to put it.

"So let's say," said Lucy, "he somehow created a new dragon like these three." She waved at Natsu mindlessly. "The question is, how did the person know to go after you and why now? You've been out at your shop recently, after we moved here. It's not new. Why _now_?"

Levy rocked to her feet with a shrug, sighing heavily. "I don't know. Look, my head hurts from whacking it on the ground and I think I'm just going to go and take a nap and pray nothing shows up in the middle of the night. Is that alright with you?"

Lucy looked startled with Levy's exasperated glare. "Would you like something for the headache?" she offered faintly, and Levy just waved her off before leaving the Common Room, fully intending to do just as she'd said.

Natsu shifted uneasily, looking worried. "Are you going to tell anyone? About the other two?"

"No," said Lucy confidently, still watching after Levy with a worried frown, "I won't. Just like I told Levy, I'd go back home before I handed any of you over."

Natsu simply frowned, not entirely sure what she meant but getting the message.

* * *

When evening fell, there was still no sign of the one who'd attacked Levy. Levy had emerged after a solid nap feeling better but still complaining of a headache, and when Gajeel and Wendy came back, Gajeel was filled in on the details. He knew nothing either – not to either of their surprise – and suggested simply waiting to see what happened. What else could they do?

Levy grumbled that they could have called the police, earning prickly looks from the three dragons, but was quick to reassure them that she wouldn't actually do that, and even if she had called the police, she'd have ensured they were safe during any investigation that took place.

When they'd moved on from the subject over dinner, Levy and Lucy questioned about their day outside on the heavily forested property, enjoying the way that Wendy launched into an excited rant. The bird-like trill in her throat spoke volumes about how much she'd liked it, and had claimed that the breeze had been so nice that she'd encouraged it.

The three looked much more settled after their visit outside. Gajeel was more relaxed, Wendy was happier than ever, and Natsu seemed more grounded, his feet planted solidly and confidently whenever and wherever he stood

To top everything off, Levy pointed out her realization about their diminishing odd features to Gajeel when she'd saw the flash of skin on his wrist that Lucy had mentioned. Gajeel had been stunned, staring at the flesh with a shockingly wide grin, and Levy had found herself amused and happy for him despite her general irritation towards him on a daily basis.

Wendy was the first to head to bed, yawning widely as she suddenly murmured something and departed the little gathering they were having in the Common Room, watching a movie. She headed off with confidence, not at all concerned about being on her own within the home they were sorting out for themselves. It admittedly gave Levy a flicker of happiness to see her so at home.

Natsu wasn't far behind, looking content and sleepy. Lucy and Gajeel went to bed nearly an hour later, and Levy found herself content as she settled into the sofa, enjoying the silence as she grabbed the book she'd left on the coffee table. She curled up neatly in the corner of the comfortable seating and happily opened the book in her lap.

If anything, reading was a way to settle her nerves as the shadows lengthened with the incoming night.

* * *

"Where's Natsu?"

The question left Levy's mouth the second she ducked into the kitchen to grab a plate of breakfast food that Lucy had prepared upon being dragged from bed earlier that morning by Wendy and Natsu. Gajeel had yet to emerge, and Levy was glad to have a reprieve before he came out and started mocking her height – something he'd started the night before and seemed to enjoy doing.

Lucy, pushing a fork full of egg into her mouth, hastily chewed and swallowed before answering. "I'm not entirely sure, actually. He literally dragged me out of bed, left me on the floor with Wendy standing there, and disappeared into the depths of the house."

"Odd," muttered Levy, hopping onto the kitchen. She swung up onto the kitchen counter, plate in hand. Kicking her legs, she took a bite and said around her food, "We could send Gajeel to go and find him."

"Gajeel's in a bad mood today," said Wendy, shaking her head. "I'll find him." She shoveled the rest of her food into her mouth and then hopped to her feet. She paused to blink at them. "Don't bother Gajeel," she said sternly, surprising both women. "He gets into moods that don't end well. Natsu usually deals with them."

"Okay?" said Lucy, glancing at Levy questioningly, and Levy shrugged. She was content to leave Gajeel to his own business. She preferred it, actually, though she did feel a little bad that she'd been useless regarding finding information about his father.

Wendy beamed and then sprinted from the kitchen, trilling at the top of her lungs and making both Levy and Lucy flinch at the volume. It continued for a few seconds before fading, and Levy leaned back against a cabinet with a roll of her eyes. At least their lives weren't boring.

Lucy hummed with a look over her shoulder, "How are you feeling, Levy?"

"Much better," sighed Levy, setting her fork lightly on her plate. She offered Lucy a small smile, feeling a little bad for some of the thoughts she'd had the night before. She did like their three new housemates – even Gajeel, although he got on her nerves more often than not. "My head still hurts, but I don't think I have a concussion or anything like that, so there's that at the very least."

"Good. Maybe Wendy could look at it when she comes back?" suggested Lucy, and Levy blinked, startled.

She'd forgotten about that.

She'd completely forgotten that Wendy could so easily brush her fingers over flesh and heal it as if by magic.

"Yes," she said immediately, "I'll ask her. That would be fantastic, actually." Levy began to eat again, quickly pushing her food into her mouth, eager to finish her meal so that she could be ready for when Wendy came back.

It didn't take Wendy very long and when she did get back, any thoughts Levy had of getting some help for her diminishing headache vanished when she saw the puzzled look on Wendy's face. "What's wrong? Did you find Natsu?"

"Yes," said Wendy, cocking her head. "But he said that he smelled something weird, so he's going to keep looking for the source."

Lucy leaned forward, and Levy exchanged a curious look with her friend, sliding down from the counter again. "Wait," said Levy. "Did he say anything more about it? Like what he thought it might be?"

Wendy shook her head, puzzled by Natsu's behavior. "No, he didn't. I could go and investigate."

"No," said Lucy, frowning. "We'll just…let him do whatever he's doing. I'm sure he'll check in before long, right? He never seems to leave you alone for too long, regardless of whether or not you're with us." She suddenly gestured to Levy, smiling gently. "Hey, would you mind helping Levy with her headache? She hit her head last night."

"Oh!" gasped Wendy, whirling around to face Levy. "Of course!" She reached out immediately, and Levy withdrew a step, wary. Wendy looked confused, looking between them for help, and Levy cleared her throat awkwardly.

"It won't hurt, right?" she asked slowly. "I've not…seen whatever it is you're going to do."

"Natsu said it didn't hurt when I did it to him," Wendy said with a shrug.

"It doesn't," promised Lucy, moving to stand beside her. She gave Levy a comforting smile. She remembered Wendy doing it to her within minutes of meeting the three in the basement. It hadn't hurt one bit.

Reassured by Lucy and Wendy's words, Levy held still as Wendy reached up and began to run her fingers gently along Levy's scalp. She made sure to touch every inch of Levy's head, and was just finishing with a final run-through when Natsu suddenly ducked into the kitchen, looking troubled.

"Hi, Natsu," said Lucy, glancing back, and he blinked at the sight before him, confused. "Levy had a headache. From where she hit her head last night."

Natsu shrugged, acknowledging what had been said, and then turned his sharp eyes onto Levy and Lucy. There was an intelligence there that Levy thought he usually hid away behind layers of suspicion and anxiety, as if showing it would get him undesired attention. "Someone was in here last night."

They all paused to stare at him. "What?" said Lucy, caught off guard.

"Someone," he repeated, "was in here last night. Some other person. I can smell them all over the place, like they were looking around. I don't recognize them." He looked a little worried. "Did someone find out that we're here? Did you tell anyone?" Worry snapped into aggressive suspicion and he bared his teeth at them.

"No," said Levy firmly as Wendy patted his arm soothingly upon stepping over. "No, Natsu, we'd never tell anyone. It has to be the person who came after me, right?" She looked over at Lucy, whose dark eyes were skimming the area thoughtfully, judging where anyone could possibly hide.

"Probably," murmured Lucy, uncertain. "You said they kept turning into shadows or something?"

Levy stared wide-eyed at her, horrified. The creature, person, _whatever it was_ had followed her home. "_Lucy_," she began, her voice rising to a high-pitched sound of fear, and Wendy hastily patted her head comfortingly.

"You know," said Wendy hesitantly, "we can help make sure nothing happens." She smiled faintly at the two women who'd helped she, Natsu, and Gajeel thus far and had given them far more than she'd ever been given in her life. "We owe you," she added firmly, confident in what she was saying.

"No, no," said Lucy immediately, denying the idea. "You don't owe us anything for treating you like actual human beings." Levy thought her friend was rather troubled with the idea – as if it truly upset her that they thought they were in their debt for offering them the help they'd provided. Levy couldn't say she liked it very much herself. "But thank you. Is it really that bad of an idea to get Gajeel out here and communicating?"

"Yes." Natsu's eyes stretched wide. "He's in a mood. We don't talk to him when he's in a mood like that."

"What do you mean he's in a mood?" Levy looked between them in confusion. "If he's in a mood, can't you just…drag him out anyways? We appear to have a situation that's a bit more important than his moping or whatever he's doing."

Natsu clicked his jaws together in irritation, frustrated that they were so clueless about something that he thought they should have known about. "If you want to get your head bit off, go ahead," he muttered.

"He likes to pick fights," explained Wendy when she realized Natsu wasn't really going to give an useful answer. "And it's not the fun fights we do sometimes. He really tries to hurt Natsu when he gets into one of his moods."

Natsu bared his teeth in a grin. "_Tries_ to," he emphasized pointedly, proudly smirking at them even as Lucy and Levy stared blankly at him, not entirely sure they were pleased to be hearing such a matter. "He's only gotten me bad once." He patted his side. "And it wasn't a good day for anyone."

Levy was willing to take a solid guess that Zeref had really not appreciated Gajeel's actions. Not wanting to know what had happened in retaliation, Levy moved on from the subject. "Alright, so no Gajeel until he's done with this mood you're describing." She really didn't want to be on the receiving end of that temper.

"So here's what we'll do since there's no Gajeel." Lucy looked to Levy, her hands tucked neatly into one another. She wrung them as she tried to think of what to do. "We'll stick together for the time being. No one goes anywhere alone. Except for Gajeel until he calms down. Levy, I'll go to work with you if I need to."

"Thank you," sighed Levy, relieved by the fact that she'd not have to get in or out of her car alone.

"Hold on," said Natsu, his onyx eyes dark with agitation with the sudden realization he'd had. "That won't do you guys any good if the person's like us. You've not even seen half of what we can do. If Levy got away with that little damage it's because the guy wasn't trying hard to get a hold of you. If I wanted, I could have you half way up this building in a couple of seconds. Easy. And that's if you had a weapon."

"He's got a point." Levy heaved out a massive sigh, frustrated by the situation they suddenly found themselves in. "I'll just call out of work and say I'm sick. Jet knows the management stuff fairly well. He can handle it. Droy will help him. But they'll come looking eventually if I don't show up. Which means we have only three or four days max to figure this mess out."

Natsu grinned suddenly, bouncing on the balls of his feet. "I'll hunt 'em down," said the happy dragon, looking positively demonic with the grin that curled over his lips. His horns curled proudly above his head, although Levy could have sworn they were much, _much_ smaller than they'd been even the day before.

"Gajeel's moods clear up after a day or two," Wendy added, looking between the two women. "He'll be able to help soon, too. And if Natsu finds anything really bad…he'll come out and use them to fight it out."

They looked so proud of themselves, having thought they'd solved a massive problem.

Levy couldn't bring herself to question what they'd do if more than one person showed up.

* * *

_Some chill stuff/a little bit of movement. A lot of this happened in the original, but it's entirely different at the same time, so. Fun stuff._

_Thanks to reviewers __(jules828, CrazyZaika, Lodemai04, FireShifter, FairyTailxFanGirl, LePengwen, nationalcarmen, stranger1999, GuestP, valerioux, WhatAnimeHasTaughtMe, and Lissuin!) as well as those who favorited and followed!_


	7. Chapter 7

Gajeel finally re-emerged from hiding two days later, after Levy and Lucy had found themselves relaxing again despite their worry about the person who'd attacked Levy. They kept an eye out, but Natsu had declared that there'd been nothing new in that time, leaving them reassured that maybe it had just been something a little off. Gajeel only confirmed it, gruffly telling them he'd not seen or smelled anything while checking around that morning.

So when evening fell and Wendy shyly scampered up to Lucy, requesting that they be able to go outside and wander the property again, Lucy willingly agreed. Levy had been a little wary about all three of them leaving, but hadn't said anything against the decision as Natsu grinned, baring his teeth excitedly. Instead, Levy had taken the time to study them, to take in the fact that Gajeel had far more skin showing than scales, that Natsu's horns were getting hard to see in his hair, and that Wendy could have been normal if not for the small feathers at her wrists.

"You know," said Lucy after they left, flipping the page of the book she was reading while Levy finished skimmed through some new reviews of her bookshop online. "I like having them around. At least it's not so empty in here."

Levy glanced up at her, arching a slim blue brow. "Where's this coming from?"

Lucy shrugged and said, "I don't know, I was just…thinking. I like having them around."

"Me, too, even if Gajeel is annoying," Levy agreed with a smile, shaking her head a little. She closed her laptop, rocking up from the couch. "I'm going to head to bed…are you going to wait up for them?"

"Mhm," hummed Lucy, looking back at her book again. "I'll make sure they're quiet when they come in, so they don't wake you. We'll head to the bookshop bright and early tomorrow, right?" Levy nodded. "Alright, I'll make sure I'm up. I'd like to take Wendy with us sometime, maybe the other two, too. Gajeel might be pushing it. We'd be fairly unlucky if we ran into someone who knew him."

"I don't know if that's really something we'd have to worry about," mused Levy. She tucked her laptop under her arm and grinned suddenly, pushing her hair from her eyes. "It'd be funny to take them all to the Fairy Tail tavern though. Makarov wouldn't mind them around, and Mira would have her hands full keeping Natsu and Gajeel out of her food and silverware."

Lucy laughed at the idea. "She'd kill Gajeel if he ate the silverware. I'd love to take them there," she said wistfully. "I hope that whatever's happening keeps going. With a little training on manners, I really think we could truly take them, too. We'd have to make it a joint effort though. I can't keep track of all three of them in the middle of downtown Magnolia without help."

"Of course I'd help," snorted Levy, rolling her eyes. She bid Lucy a final farewell, giving a small wave, and then left Lucy to wait with her book, disappearing down the hall. Lucy heard her drop a mug off in the kitchen before there was only silence. Lucy settled back, smiling to herself and truly comfortable.

She loved their new home and the family that they were making within it, even if it was a little odd.

* * *

The room was pitch-black when Lucy jolted awake. She grunted, bleary-eyed and confused as she sat up on the couch, peering around. After a moment, she yawned, glancing at a window. Moonlight streamed in, beautiful and serene. She'd fallen asleep reading, her book abandoned and its place lost on the floor.

Sighing heavily, wondering what had woken her but finding nothing amiss, Lucy grabbed her book and tossed it on the coffee table. She settled back again, rubbing at an eye and wondering if she should move to her room. She glanced at the hall before deciding against it, although she did debate going to check if the dragons were back yet. She'd not heard them come back in, and Natsu was impossible when it came to keeping quiet.

So, Lucy wondered after checking her phone and finding no new phone calls or messages, what had awoken her so violently?

Lucy climbed to her feet, suddenly feeling nervous. Something was amiss, although she played it off as she casually made her way to the kitchen. She flicked on a light, eyeing the knife block beneath the glasses. She pulled a glass down, went to the sink to fill it, and then went to lean in the corner beside the knife block.

She sipped at her water, resting her elbow on the counter, and took deep, calming breaths to keep herself under control. She kept her senses on high-alert, listening intently.

It was fifteen minutes of standing there like that that she heard it: a simple hiss.

She slowly set her glass down, feigning a yawn as she rocked forward. Turning, she grabbed her glass, grabbed a knife, and then went to the sink to drop the glass into it, slowly and carefully sliding the knife up her sleeve. Her knuckles were white, she gripped it so hard.

She knew from experience how strong someone like the dragons could be, and she wasn't going to risk not having a weapon this time.

Lucy judged the danger, the distance from the kitchen to the room that Levy was sleeping in. She debated what to do, wishing she'd brought her phone with her to send a message to Levy and simultaneously wished she'd bought Gajeel a phone to take with them whenever they went outside in such a manner. It would have made their lives a lot better and easier.

Not wanting to arouse any suspicion, Lucy forced herself to leave the safety of the kitchen. She took a right at the doorway, intending to make her way into Levy's room and wake her up if she could.

She'd barely taken one step out of the kitchen when something curled around her ankle and _yanked_.

Lucy gave a breathless cry as she hit the wooden floors hard. She yelped when she smacked her chin, pain shooting through her wrist when she twisted it awkwardly beneath her. Whatever it was tightened painfully, and she instinctively began kicking to free herself. She glanced back and felt her heart miss a beat in terror.

Shadows, swirling violently and wreathing in every direction of the hallway. They slithered up her calf, tightening painfully, and red eyes blinked blankly at her in the center of that mass as it took a human form. It dissolved a moment later into the mass.

Lucy went to utter a scream, thinking it might alert Levy and get her out of harm's away, but a hand suddenly wrenched her back by the hair, a second covering her mouth. She instinctively bit down as hard as she could, and there was a low swear as she tasted blood, but the hand stayed there, pressing painfully down over her nose and mouth until she couldn't breathe.

"Scream," said a voice in her ear, dark and menacing, "and I'll break something. We clear?"

She debated what to do, saying nothing. The knife in her sleeve had cut her in her fall, and blood trickled down her fingers, but she kept that grip on the knife, slowly dropping it from her sleeve and flipping it around. She kept silent for so long that there was a snarl and the hand pressed down further, drawing black spots to her eyes.

_"Sting-" _

The warning came too late, and Lucy slammed the knife backwards. She felt something in her twist with horror when her captor barked in agonized pain as it sunk into flesh. She was immediately flung forward, and she didn't stop to think about what she'd done, driving herself forward a dead run, judging what her options were as she slammed through Levy's bedroom door. She whirled around as a roar of rage and pain flooded the hall, slamming the door shut behind her. She pressed her back to it, swallowing thickly and shaking at the feeling of the blood on her hand.

Levy wasn't in bed, she noticed immediately. Instead, she was on her feet, a massive tome clutched between her hands and held defensively above her head. Despite their situation, Lucy snorted in amusement. Only Levy would try and use a book to defend herself.

"Lucy?" breathed Levy, lowering the book, and Lucy put a finger to her lips, listening.

She jumped when something pounded on the door. "Open up!" shouted the one she'd stabbed. She shuddered in fear at the rage in his voice. "You've got three seconds or I'm breaking the damn door down. You can make this easy or hard, but it'll end the same way, lady."

Lucy met Levy's gaze, and then pointed firmly to the cracked window with a shaking hand. _Go_, mouthed Lucy, indicating that Levy needed to get out. She hoped the drop wasn't too bad.

"One," warned the man on the other side of the door.

Levy began shaking her head, but Lucy cut a hand through the air warningly and mouthed again, _Go! _If Levy could find the dragons…all it would take was Gajeel or Natsu, and they'd stand a chance.

"Two…"

Levy retreated hastily for her bed, scrambling onto it. She shoved the window open, her eyes wide with fear for herself and for Lucy, and then didn't hesitate to clamber out, wincing as she cut her legs on the rusted, jagged window frame. Grateful there was no screen, she judged the drop. Not too bad, if she landed properly.

"Three!"

Levy dropped out and Lucy let out a gust of air in relief, spinning out of the way just a moment before something blindingly bright slammed through the wooden door, shredding it. Lucy screamed at the way it shattered, splinters raining down on the floor. Her attacker climbed through the broken door and immediately snapped his head to the side to grin at her mockingly. Blood dripped steadily from his side, but he payed it no mind and instead reached out to grab her.

Lucy, determined, ducked aside and then struck out, slamming her palm into the injury. He recoiled with a yelp, pressing a hand over it. She sprinted past him, and the man immediately fired something at her. She ducked, feeling heat not unlike the flames Natsu could produce sear at her flesh. As it was, some of it caught her shoulder, and she felt a flash of pain unlike any other she'd ever felt flood her. She clutched her seared flesh as she ducked into the Room of Content and ran for the stairs that would take her upstairs.

There was nowhere else to go but up, so up she went.

* * *

Growling under his breath, Sting crouched, pressing a hand over the writhing mass of shadows when it spoke, questioning his state of well-being. "I'm okay," he reassured, touching the wound. "It's not deep. She didn't have the guts to push it all the way in."

_"This wasn't the plan. We were told they'd be unable to fight back."_

"Eh, it makes it more fun," Sting dismissed.

_"The other one got out. Her blood is on the window in the room you broke into."_

He nodded slowly, thinking. "Can you chase her? Or do you want me to? The blonde ran up the stairs, and there's only one way up or down that I've seen. It'd be easy to keep her up there until the other one gets back."

The shadows stilled as the creature within debated. Finally, the shadows whispered, _"Deal with the one upstairs. I will find the other one. My shadows can reach further when there are plenty for me to infect."_

"Alright," he agreed easily, cracking his knuckles as he straightened. "This'll be fun. The last one to catch me unprepared like that was Yukino." He briefly grew wistful, remembering their missing friend, and then glanced down at the shadows when the person within them spoke.

_"I still think this is wrong. Yukino wouldn't like us doing this, Sting. We're better off asking them for help. Perhaps they could tell someone who'd be able to find her."_

"And if they found out, she'd be dead in an instant. No, we're doing what he said. It's the one thing we can trust – his word. He said he'd let her go if we cooperated, so we'll do as we're told."

_"This is wrong. This isn't who we are."_

"No, but it's who we have to be. Yukino's all that matters right now. It's too late for us. We can still save her." He started forward, ignoring the continued protest. "I'll find you later. Be careful. The others are out there in the forest, and remember what he said about Dragneel. He'll be the one to find you."

The shadows took form again, unblinking red eyes looking thoughtfully after Sting before the shadows dissolved once more and slid away.

* * *

Levy's breath was ragged in her throat as she sprinted through the trees that surrounded their property. The shadows that surrounded her only drove her to run faster, and it wasn't long before she found that breath coming in painful sobs. She hoped Lucy was okay – _desperately_ hoped Lucy would be okay. She'd left her, she realized. She'd left Lucy on her own with one, possibly two attackers and no way of escape.

She felt the blast coming before it happened, and she jerked to the side, backtracking a little when a swirling mass of darkness exploded nearby. She screamed when a tree blew into nothing, raining splinters onto her. She tore off in the direction the blast had come from, figuring it would confuse the one after her.

Where the _hell_ were Gajeel, Wendy, and Natsu?!

She caught sight of a heavy branch as she ran, her bare feet already cut up and bruised from running without shoes in the heavily wooded area. She hissed when she received a sliver upon heaving it into her hands. She looked around, spinning when she heard a hiss.

_There_! Something darted at her and Levy slammed her heavy club down on top of it.

The bellow of pain told her she'd done well. The mass recoiled, briefly taking form. She felt the irritable glare that was directed at her. Levy hefted up her branch again, narrowing her eyes in response, proudly lifting her chin despite the shaking of her body. She'd not go down without a fight, just as Lucy wouldn't.

_"You're making this harder than it needs to be,"_ warned her attacker. Levy jolted. It hadn't spoken until then. She'd had no idea it _could_ speak. _"Come quietly. You won't be in danger. It's not you that's truly wanted."_

_Lucy_.

Something churned low in her gut as suspicion flooded her. If they were only after Lucy, it was either going to be a ransom attempt, they knew that Lucy had been the one to find the dragons, or…

She refused to think that.

_Refused_ to consider that Lucy's father as so black-hearted that he would delve so deeply into the underworld of Fiore, into black markets and human mutilation, to get his daughter back under his control.

She tried another route. "How about," she wheezed, tightening her fingers around her branch, "_you_ come quietly, and we talk about what we can do to help you. If you're here, you know about the other three. And I can tell you right now we might be able to help you. They're losing their non-human appearances. We could help you. I'll even convince our friends to not hurt you for this."

And Levy knew they'd try. Gajeel and Natsu especially. Natsu's violent tendencies – the way he reacted when something small happened, like when Wendy tripped and stubbed her toe.

He'd tear whoever harmed someone he liked into shreds and then char the remains.

She thought it sounded a little miserable as it murmured, _"No, you can't. It's not normalcy we want."_

_Keep him talking until someone realizes something's wrong,_ Levy told herself, swallowing nervously. She slowly lowered her branch a little, arms trembling at the weight of it. The creature dissolved, then took form again. Trying so hard to appear human that she wasn't convinced that it didn't want some kind of normalcy.

"Then what do you want?" she demanded. "Tell me, and I'll help in the best way I can."

Its shadows twisted, writhing, and then struck from behind unexpectedly. Levy slammed face-first into the ground, head spinning and neck aching from the whiplash. She scrambled for her branch, hissing, but the branch was gone, and she felt as if her arms were made of lead.

She cried out when red eyes blinked up at her from the ground, inches away. _"I've told you. You can't help us."_

Levy sobbed under her breath, fighting to free herself from the odd sucking shadows that had begun to drag her into them, but the harder she fought the quicker she went down, like it was quicksand.

Things took a sudden turn in an unexpected way, however, when the world exploded in a mixture of shrapnel and heat. Levy yelped at the searing pain of flames that caressed her, instinctively snapping her face away from the direction they'd come. Within seconds, she was being hauled back by an arm around her waist.

"Hey, Levy," Natsu said cheerfully despite the dark look that had entered his eyes. Horns towered high above his head again, and the red-scaled patches that dotted his skin had grown back to their full size. His fangs gleamed in the fires that had sparked around them. "You good?"

Levy gave a breathless laugh, the sound choked by tears. Rather than demanding answers, wanting to know where they'd been, she grabbed his arm and scrabbled to her feet. "Lucy! There's another one. She ran, and he went after her–"

Natsu's grin dimmed for a moment. "I'm going. Gajeel!" he barked, and Levy turned her face in time to see Gajeel get slammed into the ground by a writhing mass of angry shadows. Rather than being hurt by the action, he only barked out a laugh, iron scales reflecting anything that tried to get to his soft skin.

"Yeah, yeah!" shouted Gajeel over the roaring of those shadows. "Get a move on, Salamander!"

Natsu jerked his head in a quick nod. "Go that direction." He pointed further into the trees. "Wendy's waiting."

"Thanks," said Levy breathlessly. He vanished, bolting in the direction of the house, and she stumbled towards where he'd said to go. Wendy met her a few moments later, her hands already skimming soothingly over injuries. Gajeel's bellow of rage filled their ears, and Wendy's anxious dark eyes met Levy's, silence pressing in between them.

* * *

Lucy thought her knees were going to buckle as she went up and up and up until the stairs ran out. Terrified, she bolted down a hallway and ducked into a ruined room. Slivers of old stone sliced into her feet, but she ignored them, pressing her back to the wall nearest the doorway. Her heart pounded in her chest and she felt ill from running so much.

It didn't help that her shoulder was in agony. Whatever the light had been had seared her so badly that the wound wasn't even bleeding. Her hand shook as she tried to touch it. She stifled a cry when pain rocketed through her.

She silenced herself as footsteps filled her ears and Sting's voice was heard calling, "C'mon, lady, don't be like this." His tone softened until he was crooning. "I don't want to hurt you. Ya just gotta come with us for a little bit, and things will be better for both of us."

Lucy settled herself, keeping her breathing quiet when she heard him stalk past the room she was in. If she could get back down those stairs, she could get outside. And if she got outside, there was a chance she could track down the three dragons or Levy – or both. Heavens above, Lucy hoped for both.

"You'll get to go home," continued Sting in a sing-song voice. "And I'll get my friend freed. Easy as a breeze. You just need to come out. I won't even retaliate for the stabbing you gave me."

_And I'll get my friend freed?_ Lucy echoed quietly in her head, thinking about that. Understanding filled her; they were acting on someone else's orders because that someone else was holding their friend hostage. And the "home" part…her heart ached.

This was her fault.

Lucy felt a stab of sympathy for everyone else involved, even the ones coming after them, despite her situation, but still bolted out the door and back for the stairs. Sting's laugh filled her ears, and something slammed past her head into the entryway. Lucy screamed in surprise when a wall partially collapsed, blocking the staircase. She skittered forward anyways, intending to clamber over the debris and down the stairs, but her pause had been enough time for Sting to stalk over.

He grabbed the back of her shirt and yanked her down. Lucy hissed as she landed hard on her tailbone, thrashing to free herself. "Let go of me," she snarled, turning her head to try and bite him again. Sting easily moved his arm out of the way, instead slamming her down, planting a foot on her chest.

"Don't try anything else," he snarled, baring his teeth down at her in the dark.

Lucy merely scrabbled in frustration at the foot that pinned her to the ground. "I can't breathe!"

"You shouldn't have run," he retorted even as he lessened the pressure a little. Lucy bit back the grin and took full advantage of that, awkwardly kicking him in the back of his other knee. Sting yelped when his knee buckled and she surged forward, cracking her elbow as hard as she could into his face.

Sting bellowed in fury as he immediately slapped a hand over his bleeding nose, glaring as she ducked around him and scrambled onto the debris. "You bitch-"

She paused to smirk over her shoulder at him despite her fear. "You shouldn't have touched me," she mocked and then took a flying leap. The broken stairs shuddered when she nearly tripped upon landing on them. She sprinted down, hasty to get to the bottom just in case they collapsed beneath her weight.

Down, and down, and down, and down.

She screamed when something slammed into the stairs behind her. Sting glared over a railing a few stories up, scowling, and then lurched forward to follow her down. Lucy shook stone from her hair and continued on her way, her breath choked and ragged as it burned its way down her throat.

"Ha!" she wheezed as she emerged in the Room of Content. She raced down the hall, hearing Sting shout something again behind her. Another quick move on her part had her avoiding more stone that showered down from the ceiling on her, blasted away.

In the back of her mind, Lucy cursed the damage to their home and wailed over repairs.

Lucy thought the Common Room might be the hardest thing to get through. She had no doubt that Sting could very easily hurtle over the balcony that would get him right to the front doors and trap her again if she didn't move fast enough. She forced her failing legs to work harder, nearly throwing herself down the stairs that led to the door.

She laughed breathlessly when she threw those massive doors open and ran outside… and then sobbed when she hit the ground, shadows creeping up her legs. Sting emerged a few moments later, heaving for air as he glared down at her. A voice hissed from the darkness, _"I believe you were supposed to get one while I got the other."_

"So where's the other?" said Sting in a cranky voice.

_"I ran into trouble. We need to move – now. Before they come hunting, which won't be long. Dragneel had already left by the time I slid away."_

"_Shit_," muttered Sting. He reached down to grab Lucy's arm.

And was promptly thrown right back into the doors, splintered wood flying in every direction. The shadows writhed angrily at the blow, and Sting bellowed in fury as he pried himself free and rose to his feet, batting flames away from his singed arms. He'd barely taken one step forward before a body hit him like a bullet, slamming him into the ground with a cackle.

"Hey there, Luce," said Natsu in a dark but cheerful-sounding voice, not bothering to look at her as he lit his hands and arms aflame and dug his fingers into Sting's shoulders. Sting gave a sound akin to a scream, and the voice growled his name worriedly from the shadows beneath Lucy.

"Here's what's going to happen," crooned Natsu when Sting went to pry his hands away, only burning his own in the process. "You're going to stand down and let us figure out what the hell you want, or I'm going to turn you into a into a pile of ashes. And if your friend thinks about laying one finger on Lucy, I'll do it anyways."

Lucy gave a sobbing laugh, burying her face in her battered arms. Sting snarled at the sound, viciously angry, and Natsu grinned widely down at him, waiting for an answer. Sting simply craned his head up and said to his companion, "Forget me. _Yukino_."

The shadows paused, taking form again. The figure they created seemed to stare at him. And then they melted into the ground again – and this time, Lucy found herself dragged into them, too, her body numb where it sank. "Natsu!" she shouted, prying with her hands to free herself.

Natsu burst into flames, furious, and Sting screamed again. The shadows paused, and Lucy had a feeling of agonizing indecision – as if the figure within the shadows didn't want to leave Sting. So Lucy rasped, unsure of what else to do, "If you stop, he stops. I promise. And we'll help you. We'll do our hardest to help you."

It considered – and then let her go. Lucy staggered to her feet and immediately raced for where Natsu was fearlessly trying to incinerate Sting. She'd barely taken two steps forward when something white and blinding exploded from Sting's mouth. Natsu yelped as he reared back, fingers scrabbling to rub at his eyes, pieces of skin singed from whatever had struck him. Lucy slammed into him, her fingers on his arm. "Natsu!"

He growled irritably and slid his feet into a bracing motion as Sting staggered upright, too, heaving for air and looking as if he'd soon pass out. His body held dozens of burns. Rubbing at a bloodied spot on his cheek, Natsu muttered, "Gajeel's with Levy."

"Thank you," she breathed back. She tightened her fingers when he went to step forward. "Natsu, please. There's someone…they have a friend who's being held hostage, I think. We could help."

Natsu glanced over his shoulder at her in exasperation. She held his gaze confidently, and he searched hers with wariness. Finally, he shrugged. "Your funeral," he muttered, and stood down, folding his arms. He jerked his chin at Sting, eyes blazing with a threat. "Start talking – and if Lucy doesn't like your answer, my offer still stands. Hope that friend of yours likes charred remains."

* * *

_Official names! Sort of, Rogue's not really been mentioned yet, but it's pretty obvious. Again, sort of following the original, but definitely not at the same time! ;) Also, the regular updates may go away. I'm writing, but not fast enough apparently._

_I'm also really fascinated by peoples' responses to Levy and Lucy's views on everything. I'm portraying them in the way people are seeing specifically, so I'm happy to see people noticing. I'm definitely aiming for Lucy being more "let me help where I can regardless of what's going on" while Levy is leaning more realistically towards "this is an insane situation and I'll help, too, but goddamn, Lucy, we need to be more careful."_

_FireShifter, regarding Mavis...I'm not sure at this point. I'm leaning towards no though. _

_Thanks to reviewers (__jules828, LePengwen, FireShifter, valerioux, Glass Dragon's Rose, Meow Orbit, stranger1999, and Lissuin!) as well as those who favorited and followed!_


	8. Chapter 8

As good as Wendy was at healing physical injuries, Levy was still exhausted as she limped up to the doors of the building they'd been calling home. Gajeel kept close to both of them, eyes darting this way and that, and frowned at the patch of charred grass on the lawn. His gaze went to the shattered doors a moment later. "Salamander must have fought with 'em."

Levy's heart twisted with fear as she thought of Lucy's panicked face the last time she'd seen her. "Do you think Lucy's okay?" she whispered.

"She's okay, I think. She's inside. I can hear her and Natsu and someone else," Wendy said cheerfully, nudging Levy through the door. Gajeel grumbled, reluctant about letting them inside, but merely followed when Levy picked her way through the remains of the doors.

"Lucy?" Levy called warily the second they were inside, her voice trembling with fear for her friend.

"Levy!" Levy's knees nearly buckled at the call of her name. She felt tears of relief fill her eyes when Lucy appeared at the balcony above their heads, smiling tiredly down at them. Lucy was a disaster, her body quivering with pain from the nasty-looking burn on her shoulder. Her golden hair was sticking up all over the place and blackened by soot or something else in some places. She had blood sticking to her skin in a variety of places.

Lucy's gaze flicked among them before returning to Levy. "You okay?" she asked, and Levy nodded, smiling faintly in response.

"Wendy fixed me up pretty good," she said confidently, turning to climb the stairs.

Gajeel, on the other hand, grabbed Wendy's shoulder before she could follow and uttered a very low growl that thundered loudly in his throat. "What the hell's going on up there, blondie?"

Lucy attention turned to him and she said firmly, "We're having a discussion." Something flickered in her eyes, a wary look that Wendy even noticed. "About why they're here. Don't worry, they're fully aware of what will happen if they try anything. Natsu's got an eye on them." Gajeel merely glared at her, not trusting the pair that had attacked for one second. Lucy's gaze sharpened. "There's more to their situation then you think, Gajeel. They have their reasons, and the one's already apologized."

"It doesn't mean they mean it," said Gajeel grouchily before following Levy up the stairs, keeping closer than before to Wendy. Lucy rolled her eyes and made her way back over to where Natsu was sitting in the middle of the Common Room on the floor, staring harshly at the pair before him.

The one Levy hadn't seen had nervous blue eyes that darted between Levy, Gajeel, and Wendy. Levy took him in quickly, noting the dozens of bloody scratches on his skin, the hand pressed over an injury in his side, the nasty burning covering his shoulders and hands. He looked exhausted and as if he wanted nothing more than to simply curl up then and there and sleep. She didn't miss the white patches of scales, so similar to Natsu's red ones, and how they crept up along the sides of his face and down along his arms in odd streak-like patterns. Levy's attention, however, lingered on the writhing, squirming black mass beside him. Whoever it was kept trying to appear more human than it was, taking shape before dissolving again, frustration clearly growing with each attempt and making it even harder.

Levy couldn't say that either looked very threatening in the soft dawn light beginning to creep in through the windows. Lucy had switched on a lamp, too, and it definitely helped that there was a demonically grinning Natsu watching their every move with care.

"Hey, Levy," said Natsu without looking away from the pair before him. "We were waitin' for you guys before we got our information."

"Hi, and thank you," she murmured, smiling faintly at him, truly grateful for his whirlwind of energy. She was fairly sure that without he and the other two, she and Lucy would likely have been dragged off to who the hell knew where. Then again…they wouldn't have been in this situation at all if it hadn't been for them.

Before anyone could start informing anyone of anything, however, the shadows suddenly groaned, writhing even more violently, and the blond white-scaled man suddenly turned to them. "I'll talk," he said tiredly, clearly not looking forward to it. "You can take a break."

The shadows stilled – and then promptly vanished into the blond's own shadow. He winced, but said nothing about it as silence fell.

"Let's start," Lucy said, her voice hoarse, "with your names." She waved off Wendy when Wendy went to try and heal her injuries, deciding she wanted them dealt with at a later time. "And tell us where you're originally from."

"S'not what we wanna know," muttered Gajeel, but Levy settled herself beside Lucy and Natsu, understanding what Lucy was aiming for. They needed this man's trust, so that they could get information easier. And, she supposed, she'd offered to help them if they could. Lucy had, too, she realized when blue eyes locked anxiously on her friend.

He faltered before rasping, "Sting Eucliffe. And he," he jabbed his finger in the direction of his shadow, "is Rogue Cheney. We're from Crocus, I guess."

Lucy nodded slowly, and Levy settled back, content to let her take over the interrogation for the time being. "What's wrong with Rogue?" she asked simply.

"He can't stabilize," was the answer she received. Sting's hands shook with pain as he pressed his palms over his eyes, grimacing. "Whatever he was given won't let him stabilize. We were told if we did well, he'd get something that would help."

Lucy and Levy winced at that, but Lucy continued rather than commenting on the matter, figuring it was something they could deal with later. "Okay," she said soothingly, shooting Natsu a nasty look when he growled impatiently, baring his teeth, "let's start with the important things then. We'll decide what to do after we've heard the full story. So…" She debated for a couple of seconds. "start with Yukino. Who is the Yukino you kept mentioning, and what kind of trouble are they in?"

Sting flinched as if he'd been struck, clamping his mouth shut, and Gajeel glowered at the way he clammed up. That glower turned onto Sting's shadow when a very faint voice murmured, _"Yukino Auguria is our mutual friend. She got dragged into this mess when we made a very bad mistake."_

"And what is that very bad mistake?" Levy piped up, curious as Sting hissed Rogue's name, frustrated that his friend wasn't resting as he'd been told.

"We tried to break out," muttered Sting, tightly clenching his jaw and glaring at her. No, Levy realized, not at _her_, but at something none of them could see. She waved off the growl that left Natsu when he caught sight of it. "We got out, so they tracked down one of our friends and told us if we didn't do what they said, they'd either kill her or turn her into what we've become. She knew too much to begin with; she was looking for us when they grabbed her and had somehow found some information they didn't like her knowing."

"Who's they?" demanded Natsu suddenly. "'Cause the only one who's been doing this stuff is my brother."

_That_ particular comment had Sting nearly rocking to his feet, a snarl in his throat. Natsu didn't flinch, instead letting flames explode to life around his seated form in warning. He glared icily at Sting, waiting, and with reluctance, Sting settled back down. He kept glaring at Natsu, saying nothing, so Rogue piped up again.

_"A man named Zeref," _he said, _"and another man who kept his identity to himself." _

"So Zeref _is_ involved," muttered Levy, thinking that over. She looked back when Wendy suddenly whimpered anxiously, worried about what this meant for she and her two companions. "Don't worry, Wendy, we won't let anything happen to you," she said kindly, remembering how just days prior she'd been so wary of the three dragons. Anyone who did what they'd done for her this night did deserve her trust though.

Natsu had gone quiet, his gaze lowered, considering how his brother had left them to starve to death in such an old abandoned building and merely gone on to create new experiments when he'd tired of them. But he looked up as Lucy spoke suddenly, her voice quiet and tired, "The other man. Describe him."

"Wealthy," was the first word out of Sting's mouth, bitter and angry. "He came from a lot of money, I could practically smell it at him. Taller than me, with darker blond hair. Dark eyes, too." He hesitated, and added, "He said that if we brought at least you in," he jerked his chin at Lucy, "then they'd let Yukino go, and if we could get both of you, they'd not only let her go, but stabilize Rogue."

"Lucy," murmured Levy as Lucy nodded slowly. "You don't think–"

"Oh," drawled Lucy, growing angry as she considered the possibility, "I'm definitely thinking it's him. He's been getting more desperate, anyways. I read a tabloid a few weeks back that said he might be ill and is considering merging his company with another. He's always been desperate to keep the company in the family." She slammed an angry fist on her thigh, ignoring the stinging pain that shot through the limb. Scowling, she lifted her dark eyes to Sting's. He looked confused by her reaction. "Were they close?"

"Not really. I don't think Zeref liked the other man very much." Sting snorted loudly. "The other man is funding his work, I think, and he kept telling him what to do with the money he was handing over." He shrugged, looking down at his lap. "I only heard a little whenever Zeref came in to my little cell to give me whatever it was he was working on. Mostly him muttering about it."

Lucy traced a pattern on her leg with her finger, her eyes searching the air in silent thought. Finally, she said, "I'm sorry that this happened to you and your friends. I'll see what I can do to help you."

Natsu turned a sharp look onto her, confused. "What are you gonna do alone?" he demanded, catching onto her intentions immediately.

Gajeel said nothing, but he had a look of understanding dawning on his face. Wendy merely looked confused, clutching Gajeel's wrist as Levy said warningly, "Don't you dare even consider for a moment that I would let you so much as think about going near this situation all on your own, Lucy Heartfilia."

Lucy sent her a look of exasperation. "What do you take me for?" she huffed. "I'm not an idiot, Levy, I know that the second I go anywhere near this without a good plan that I'm going to be dragged back under my father's thumb kicking and screaming whether I like it or not. No, I'll think of something. He doesn't get to hurt other people to get what he wants, no matter how wealthy he is." Her face darkened angrily.

"Wait," Sting muttered, bristling, "you're saying your old man's part of the reason we're in this mess? And his," he jerked his chin towards Natsu, "brother, too? What the hell are you two, then?" He grew defensive, looking ready to launch into a fight again if he had to. "I'm not going back. I won't let them put me back in that cell. You can't make me go back."

"Not like them," Lucy said firmly. "I'm not anything like my father, and Natsu's _nothing_ like Zeref."

Natsu grumbled, setting his jaw. "Stop saying stuff like that," he muttered, not at all happy. "He's my brother, not some kind of monster."

Gajeel sighed heavily and said sharply, "We've been over this, Salamander. Family doesn't do the kinda things that man has done to anyone, let alone a blood relative." Levy nodded her agreement, and Lucy ignored the conversation, not finding it too important for the time being as she considered what to do.

"If you promise not to cause issues," said Lucy, glancing at Levy for her agreement, too, "then I suppose you could stay here. We've already got three dragons; what's another two?" She glanced over her shoulder at the three that had lived their previously. "And if they're okay with it, too. Since they lived here first."

Natsu looked stunned that she'd even considered their opinion important. He squinted at Sting suspiciously for a few moments before drawling, "I don't care. If they try somethin', they're gonna regret it though."

Wendy murmured that she didn't mind the idea alongside a very cautious Levy. Levy looked less inclined to agree, but grew more confident about her answer when she took another look at the miserable Sting. Gajeel, however, eyed them harshly before grunting, "They can stay, but I'm with Salamander. They try anything…"

"We won't," mumbled Sting, looking very exhausted quite suddenly. He swayed. "Thank you. What about–"

"We'll figure out how to help your friend," Lucy said quietly. "I can't promise we'll get it figured out in the next few days, but we _will_ figure out what to do, which means we might need more help than just the two of us." She looked anxiously to Levy. "What do you think about bringing Gray and Erza in? Gray could help us with the smaller things and we're going to need more beds anyways, and Erza's…Erza. She's dealt with a lot of weird situations. She might even know something already."

Levy nodded slowly in consideration. As a private investigator, Erza had definitely been involved in really weird and dark things. She'd be a particularly helpful person so long as she didn't give away anything. She wished she could tell Droy and Jet, but…knowing them as well as she did, they'd be unable to keep quiet – _especially_ if someone came looking for more information.

Natsu grew huffy almost immediately. "We can't tell anyone," he protested snappishly. "That's been the rule forever. We can't tell anyone except for the people who know. If we tell anyone outside of the people who know, then bad things will happen."

"The one who made that rule," said Lucy almost gently, "doesn't care if bad things happen, Natsu."

"It wasn't Zeref who made the rule," Gajeel suddenly growled, his eyes narrowing. "And it's a rule we're gonna keep following 'cause the one who made it broke it and look where she ended up."

Lucy didn't bother informing them that neither she nor Levy knew who they were talking about, but found that she was rather interested. There had been another involved, a fifth person. Wondering what had happened to them, she instead looked over when Levy spoke clearly and calmly.

"Look, you two," she said, glancing between them, "we can trust Gray and Erza. Erza's a private investigator, so she may actually know something in regards to your dad," she added pointedly to Gajeel. "She's always been interested in the cold cases and would likely find yours to be the top case she's ever solved, although we'd have to convince her to keep away from paperwork and such. And Gray…" She trailed off, suddenly frowning. "Lucy, you don't think he'd get into this too deeply, do you? With Juvia's disappearance?"

Just like that, Gajeel's attention was suddenly locked onto her. "Juvia?" he repeated, and she blinked at him in surprise when he added, "Lockser?"

Silence fell, and Levy and Lucy both gawked at him for a few moments before Levy said slowly, "You _know_ her?"

"Yeah," said Gajeel, pierced brows drawing together a little. "We hung out in the same circles when I was a stupid kid, just before Zeref got his hands on me. She was…" He trailed off, as if considering how to word it. "A friend, I guess." He didn't sound convinced by the idea. "S'the only one who didn't look like they belonged with the rest of them. She's missing?"

Lucy and Levy exchanged grim looks. "She's been missing for a while now," admitted Lucy finally. "The police are calling it quits on her investigation kind of long." She took a deep breath. "I wonder…it's too strange for her to have a connection to one of you guys. She's got to have been taken for the same reasons you four were. We definitely have to involve Gray."

"They're both trustworthy people," said Levy firmly. "He and Erza. And look, we're doing our best, but…look what happened tonight." She jabbed a finger at Sting, who'd been dozing. He grimaced guiltily. "We're in over our heads now. We _have_ to bring in someone else, or we're going to run into serious trouble further down the road. Gray deserves to help, and Erza can provide so much more than the rest of us can with information. She has connections that might get us news we wouldn't even think would be important. Plus, if something happens and we need to move, you'll have safe places to hide."

Natsu, quiet for the last few moments, gaze darting between the pair of women, said bluntly, "If people know about us, they'll kill us. Not just us," he added, gesturing to he and the other two as well as Sting and Rogue's general direction, "but you, too."

"We didn't try to get you killed," pointed out Lucy in a gentle manner. "The majority of the world might, yes, I can't lie to you about that. You're different, and humans never deal well with that which is different, Natsu, but there are a few people out there who would support you. We know quite a few that would turn around and offer you a home like we have without a second thought." She thought of the little tight-knit group she and Levy had become close with at a local tavern. The owner, an older man named Makarov, had taken and continued to take those who needed help under his wing and would do everything he could to help where he was able, offering a family in the process. It was how Levy and Lucy had met so many of the people they knew, including Levy's introduction to Droy and Jet.

"Mind you," Levy said hastily with a pointed look at Lucy when she saw Wendy's face pale at the idea of so many people knowing about them, "we won't tell anyone but Gray and Erza for the time being, unless we find someone special." Like Gajeel's missing father, she thought, or Sting and Rogue's hostage-held friend. "And if you really, _really _don't want us to, we won't tell anyone. But you need to consider the fact that Lucy's father has all of the money in the world to continue funding Zeref's work, and we need to consider the fact that such power will eventually result in something bad happening."

Lucy winced a little, looking guilty. She played with her fingers for a few moments, debating. "I could technically," she murmured, "likely take that power away if I went home–"

"And you've been told," Levy said firmly, "that you're not going home. _I_ won't let you go home, Lucy."

Lucy nodded uncertainly and was caught by surprise when Natsu said, "You'd be a hypocrite if you went home. After everything you told us." Everyone turned confused eyes on him and Natsu looked semi-uncomfortable with the attention, though he kept his sharp onyx eyes on the still injured Lucy, his nostrils flaring as he took in the smell of burned flesh and crooked a finger to summon Wendy over. "If we don't deserve this," he tapped a scale on his cheek, then jerked his chin at her, "then you don't deserve it either."

Lucy's lips quirked, and she said simply, "Thank you, Natsu. Now. Let's get all of us patched up." She smiled when Wendy knelt beside her, still eyeing Sting uncertainly, "And get the couch set up as best as we can for those two, and we'll call Gray and Erza this afternoon, after we've rested. And just because I'm still a little worried, Gajeel, would you-"

"Yeah," he grunted with a wide, mocking grin directed at the new members of their oddly-pieced-together family, "I'll watch 'em."

Sting merely rubbed burned hands over his soot-stained face and cringed in pained exhaustion.

* * *

"What do you think, Levy?" Lucy asked hours later as the sun began to set outside and cast golden light through the windows of her room. Levy was curled on her bed with a book in hand, not really inclined to sleep alone after the previous wildly frightening night.

"Think of what?" Levy said, reluctantly prying her eyes away from her book. She found Lucy indicating the freshly healed and massive scar that decorated her shoulder. Levy cringed at the sight. It wasn't very pleasant looking. The wound looked odd, and Wendy's magic had barely managed to patch it up well – as if something about the damage that came from the abilities of her fellow dragons could repel her own. Levy really hoped that wasn't the case.

"That bad, eh?" said Lucy, and Levy grimaced guiltily at the flicker of misery that briefly raced across Lucy's features. As hard as she tried to not be too in everyone's face about it, she prided herself on her appearance, and to have a scar like that was devastating.

"It means you survived," was Levy's simple answer.

"Ah, at least I won't have to worry about boyfriends trying to steal my money anymore." Lucy ran her fingers over the scar with a wince of pain when it throbbed, and then pulled her pajama shirt back up. She curled her feet beneath her. "I think Natsu's outside the door, listening in, so at least you can sleep safe tonight."

"Not listening!" came Natsu's muffled voice, and Levy, despite her overall irritation with the situation that the pair of them had been pushed into, nearly snorted in laughter. "Guarding."

Lucy grinned, and Levy studied the fond look she threw over her shoulder at the door. Lucy had developed a particular fondness for Natsu in the past few hours, Levy had noticed, and she knew for sure that Lucy was clearly the favored out of the pair of house owners. Natsu had been trailing after her for hours like a lost duckling, seeming concerned that she'd get into trouble if he left her alone. At least, she was for Natsu. Gajeel and Wendy didn't seem to have favorites.

"And making sure," said Levy casually, leaning back on her hands, "that you don't disappear to deal with things on your own, I'm guessing."

Lucy sighed heavily, prying back the blankets of her bed to curl underneath them. "I told you I wouldn't do anything brash, but I won't sit back and let my father continue to fund something that hurts other people, Levy." She blinked at Levy, rolling onto her side. "I want to have a conversation with him at the very least. I'm thinking I'll talk with Erza or Mira. One of them can mediate, although if I go with Mira, I'll have to edit my phrasing…that would make it a little more difficult without including her in everything…"

"Makarov could mediate," said Levy thoughtfully, crawling under the blankets with her after setting aside her book. She blinked back at Lucy. "He wouldn't ask questions, and he's got enough connections that they would think about touching you or him in the meeting."

"He'd want to bring Laxus though. Laxus goes everywhere when things like this happens."

"Laxus doesn't really question anything either – not unless it involves Mira or one of his friends," pointed out Levy.

"True, true, and he does give off a rather intimidating appearance…I'll talk with Gray and Erza about it when we invite them over, get their opinion, too, but I think I'll talk to Makarov in that case and see if he can help me."

Levy hummed her approval. "Let's talk with Gray and Erza first. They may have a suggestion that doesn't involve with you coming face to face with Jude."

She didn't miss Lucy's flinch at her father's name, and she certainly didn't miss the small nod that Lucy gave, as if she was hoping that they could all avoid an interaction with Jude Heartfilia.

* * *

_So regular updates are clearly done with. My apologies, everyone. Nevertheless, have an update! _

_Next chapter, we'll get Erza, some more Gray, and some more interactions with Sting and Rogue! ;)_

_Thanks to reviewers __(stranger1999, WhatAnimeHasTaughtMe, BearPlusCat, valerioux, LePengwen, CrazyZaika, jules828, Saints-Fan-12, Lissuin, HellsAngel0816, and FireShifter!) as well as those who favorited and followed!_


	9. Chapter 9

Lucy's shoulder throbbed painfully the next morning, but she wasn't too concerned with it. Wendy had mentioned that it might be sore for some time after she'd finished working on it. Wendy herself had been tired from working so hard to help those around her, and Lucy could tell it had taken its toll on her simply because the sun was nearing noon and the little dragon still hadn't come out of her room.

While Levy and Gajeel had reluctantly agreed to work together on inspecting the damage around the place, Natsu had decided to stick with her for the time being, something Lucy was grateful for. Well, she supposed he wasn't sticking with her for _her, _per se, but because Sting and Rogue had decided to make themselves at home in the Common Room, casually fixing what they could. Lucy watched them thoughtfully from the table, having just sent a text requesting that Erza and Gray drop whatever they were doing to visit for important unsaid reasons at promptly six that evening. Natsu shifted in his seat to her right, uncertain and looking a little unhappy himself.

It was clear that neither Sting nor Rogue felt at home. For one, Rogue couldn't do anything to help Sting as he righted the sofa, and Sting was clearly in pain from the injuries he'd received the day before. Lucy felt bad for them as she watched Sting pause to swear under his breath, sweat beading on his forehead. Rogue murmured something neither she nor Natsu caught, and Sting responded just as quietly.

"Natsu," Lucy said quietly, and he glanced at her. "Do you think Wendy could help him out? Or would she be too tired? He shouldn't have to be in that much pain."

Natsu debated, his onyx eyes narrowed. His draconic features had vanished overnight, Lucy had noticed. Good. She knew that it had worried them all when their features had come back after slowly disappearing. "Maybe. I could go see."

"Go do that. I'm sure they'll be fine on their own for a few minutes."

Natsu rocked to his feet, and Sting glanced over suspiciously while Rogue dissolved into a writhing mass of shadows again. Lucy felt a stab of sympathy for him; it clearly distressed him, being stuck in such a way. It was far worse than any of what the others dealt with.

Lucy ignored their questioning looks, instead shooting a text to Levy to inform her that Gray and Erza would be by at six. She rocked back in her seat when she was done, telling them, "Our friends are going to be by at six. You're welcome to meet them when we give the all clear."

Sting paused to eye her. He looked so tired, she just wanted to give the poor guy a hug and tell him to go and take a very long nap. "Do they know what we did?"

"No," said Lucy. "And we don't have to tell them either, although it might be a good idea to warn them about what'll happen if they get involved."

Sting frowned, considering. Lucy made a mental note to make Gajeel or Natsu lend him some new clothes until they could get him his own. Finally, he glanced down, and Lucy realized he was looking to Rogue for answers.

_"Tell them. The last thing we want is someone else getting hurt because of us," _said Rogue. _"I won't show myself. We want to help, not scare people off."_

Lucy bit her lip. She wanted to help Rogue the most at the moment, at least give him back of the life he'd lost in the form that he now was forced to take. "I'm sure that you'd not scare them off. I'm not sure what Gray will think since we suspect his girlfriend was taken away by the same people, but…Erza isn't scared by anything that I've been able to see."

_"We'll see," _was all Rogue said.

Natsu reappeared a few moments later with a yawning Wendy. He glanced at Lucy, and then said, "Hey. Sting." Sting briefly looked back at him and then blinked, confused when he saw Wendy. Still sleepy, she offered him a nervous smile and extended her hands.

"I can heal your injuries," she said shyly, "if you'd like."

Sting stared at the young girl in shock, unable to believe what he was hearing, and Natsu cleared his throat impatiently. "Well?" he huffed. "C'mon, she wants to go back to bed."

Lucy's lips twitched as she watched Sting hesitantly approach, stumbling a little in his surprise. He looked nervous, as if he fully expected the offer to be suddenly withdrawn and replaced with something painful. It made Lucy's heart ache sympathetically. She felt so bad for the pair – for all five of those who'd suffered at Zeref's hand.

She thought of her father's involvement and clenched her jaw. _No more_, she decided as Sting gave a shockingly bright grin at finding what Wendy could do and just how well she could do it. He was nearly childlike in his amazement, and Lucy could have sworn there was a bright glow around the scales that decorated his skin for a moment.

"You look suspicious," said a voice in Lucy's ear, and she jumped a foot in the air, squawking. Gajeel snickered, even as everyone else looked over immediately in suspicion. Wendy's wrinkled brow smoothed, her worry and fear gone when she recognized Gajeel; Natsu leveled him with a nasty look for what he'd done. Gajeel smirked, though he looked rather suspicious himself. "You planning somethin'?"

"No," Lucy said immediately. She sighed when he lifted a pierced brow, waiting. "Maybe. I'm going to talk it over with Levy and then Gray and Erza – if they want anything to do with this, of course. I don't see why they wouldn't – particularly Gray." She tugged thoughtfully on a lock of golden hair. "We'll see. I doubt they'll think it's a good idea."

"Well, what is it?" demanded Natsu, and Lucy blinked, not realizing he'd been listening as Wendy finished with Sting. Actually, all four – no, five, she reminded herself, as Rogue was there, too – were listening to them. Even Wendy had her head tipped in the direction of Lucy.

Lucy had to fight back the blush that threatened to encompass her face. She hated being caught up in situations like this – like she'd been doing something she wasn't supposed to. Clearing her throat awkwardly, Lucy didn't bother to try and back out of it. Instead, she said, "Well, err, I know no one likes the idea of me going home –"

"Oh, come on, Luce," complained Natsu, and she frowned at the nickname, wondering when he'd come up with it. "We already said no to that."

"Okay, yes, you did, but what if it's the only way? Besides, I'm not intending to stay there whatsoever. I'm tired of my father doing things like this, thinking it'll bring me home." She scowled, frustrated by the very idea. "I'm a free person. He needs to learn that, and I think going back and then walking out again will be the only way to do so."

Sting frowned at her suddenly. "You know he's been chatting it up with the guy who did this to us, right?" he demanded, gesturing to himself. "You could run into him. You really want to risk that?"

"You make a good point," admitted Lucy when Wendy took on a nervous look.

"I don't want something bad to happen to you – or to Levy!" cried Wendy, frantic at the thought.

Lucy sighed, deciding that bringing it up had been a bad idea, regardless of the fact that Gajeel, who'd been cocking his head in silent thought for the last few moments, had asked. "Look," she began before pausing, suddenly switching the subject – mostly on purpose, but also because she was sincerely curious. "Hey, where's Levy, Gajeel? She was with you, wasn't she?"

The wide grin that spread across Gajeel's face made Lucy sigh heavily. "She _was_," he said rather smugly. "And then I called her a mouse and she went the other way. S'fun, coming up with stuff related to her height. She's so easy to play with."

Lucy only sighed again and rubbed her temples, exasperated. "Wendy, could you go find her? I need to chat with her about tonight. I sent her a message saying that Gray and Erza were coming, but…there's a few details we should probably work out ahead of time. All of us could, actually, if you really don't want to be seen, Rogue."

_"I do not," _confirmed Rogue.

"I'm still going to let them know that you're here," said Lucy firmly. Rogue didn't deny the decision, simply remaining quiet, so Lucy took it as him agreeing that it was fine. She smiled when Wendy offered a hesitant nod before trotting off, her fingers clasped behind her back. "I'll want to tell them first, I think, before they see any of you…particularly you, Sting, since you've still got scales and such."

Sting shrugged, glaring bitterly at the scales that dotted his arms, but said nothing in response. Suddenly, however, he glanced sharply at her. "You said the Erza chic was an investigator, right?" When Lucy nodded, he asked, "Can you ask her about Yukino?"

Lucy softened a fraction, knowing that the pair were particularly concerned about their friend. "Of course," she said, "although I can't promise that she'll know anything."

"Thanks," mumbled Sting. "Even if she doesn't know anything, at least we asked. Better than not knowing."

Lucy nodded her agreement, clasping her hands behind her back and glancing at the time on her phone.

She knew that six-o'-clock in the evening seemed far right now, but that it would come barreling towards them, and she needed to get started on a strawberry cake. Sometimes, the only way to calm a raging Erza, which she undoubtedly knew would happen, was to offer a tribute, and the only one acceptable was a sweet dessert.

* * *

From where she stood in the basement of the mansion, ignoring the suspicious stains on the ground and the chains connected to the old stone walls, Levy paused to see if she could hear it again. Nothing but chilling silence filled her ears. She flashed her phone's flashlight around further, frowning. She could have sworn she'd heard _something_, and while she wasn't excited to be alone in a basement that held clear signs of violence, she wasn't going to leave someone down here to _starve_, even if it meant dealing with yet another addition to the quickly growing household.

"Hello?" Levy called as she reluctantly wandered further into the dungeon, very aware that it would be easy to get lost. There were tunnels, she realized, almost like a catacomb, and her nervousness was quickly increasing. She knew she should have simply gone back and found someone with sharper eyes, ears, and nose to come back down with her, but…

Heavens above, if she heard Gajeel make _one more_ comment about her height…

Levy pushed onwards, muttering insults to herself. Whether they were towards her or towards the aggravating man covered in iron scales, she wasn't sure. They were both idiots now. She ducked around a corner, and then paused, studying the area before her. Too many options – too many methods of getting lost. She'd not continue forwards.

Levy turned to head back in the direction she'd come only to pause when she heard a sound again. She blinked, turning around. _Where…?_

Levy tried again a simple "hello," but got nothing back. She bit her lip, debating. Lucy had texted her, and she needed to get back to the stairs, but…seriously. She couldn't leave something down here to starve. Unless it was violent and angry and…

Heavens above, she repeated to herself, she was losing it. She was acting as if there was some demonic spirit down in this basement. Then again, she supposed it wasn't entirely impossible with the luck she'd been having as of late.

She risked a few more steps into the chaos. Still, more silence.

And them something exploded past her legs, squeaking wildly, and Levy couldn't help the short scream that left her lips as she jumped a foot in the air. She flashed her light over it and caught a glimpse of a nasty, scaly tail. "Oh, disgusting!" she wailed, recognizing it as a rat. She shuddered, horrified. She'd have to tell Lucy there were rats in this never ending dungeon. She wondered just briefly how big it was – and who'd built it. The building had been "historical" according to the one who'd sold it to them, but…what did "historical" even mean without context? There was no history that had been given outside of it had once belonged to royalty. And that wasn't helpful at all.

Levy shook her head with a scowl and turned to leave. She made the long pain-staking process of finding her way back towards the stairs. She grimaced when she stepped in a puddle, hoping that it was water and not anything else.

"Levy!" a voice called just as she reached the steps. Wendy stood at the top, looking down at her with a furrowed brow and confused look. "What are you doing down there?"

"Checking," Levy said simply, climbing the stairs and gently nudging Wendy out with her hip. She brushed herself off. "I should have probably taken someone with me, just in case, but…I'd never been down there. I'm so sorry you had to be down there for so long."

Wendy, ever so cheerful regardless of a situation, smiled up at her with bright brown eyes. "It's okay," she said, "I had Natsu and Gajeel." She turned and started skipping along, and Levy followed her closely, glancing over her shoulder with a frown. She could have sworn she'd heard something that wasn't a rat down there, but…clearly she'd been imagining things.

"Lucy said to find you," Wendy told her. "She said that your friends are coming at six." She didn't look as if she fully understood what that meant, but she said it proudly, happy to be passing on an important message.

Levy bit the urge to laugh back, not wanting to hurt Wendy's feelings. "Thank you for letting me know," she said sincerely.

They made their way to the Common Room, where Sting was comfortably seated and watching TV. No, Levy realized, he was staring at the screen, but he wasn't watching the images that danced there. He was thinking of something else. She was willing to bet Rogue was in the shadows somewhere. Wary of the pair, Levy made a direct beeline to Lucy, who'd seated herself at the table with Natsu and Gajeel on either side of her. Both were peering curiously at a piece of paper she was scribbling furiously on.

"What's going on?" Levy asked as she and Wendy approached.

Without looking up, Lucy said, "I'm writing notes about things we should discuss with the two that are coming by. Gajeel and Natsu are giving me ideas, although I can't say lighting someone's pants on fire is all that good of an idea," she added dryly with a glare at Natsu. He beamed at her, not seeming to care that she didn't agree with it. "I'm worried about what's going to happen when he," she pointed at the pink-haired person beside her, "is put in the same room as Gray. You know Gray doesn't like people like Natsu."

"Hey," protested Natsu. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Does that mean he won't like us?" asked Wendy anxiously.

Levy shook her head. "No, no. I can't say one way or the other, but it's more a conflict of personality than what you are, Wendy." She patted the girl gently on the head. She might not have been too fond of the life they'd crafted for themselves when it was so full of danger, but she _did _like Wendy. And Natsu, she supposed. Gajeel was walking a very thin line if he was going to keep smirking at her like that.

Natsu snickered before cocking his head, studying Levy for a few moments. Finally he asked with a little too much innocence, as if knowing he was about to create a moment of chaos, "Why were you hanging in the basement, Levy?"

"_What_?" gasped Lucy,snapping her head up, and Levy threw her hands up, glaring at Natsu in exasperation when Gajeel gave her a piercing look, too.

"Are you serious, Natsu?" she hissed, and he cackled like a little demon that she wanted nothing more than to throttle. _Jerk_! "I was just checking. I thought I heard something down there–"

"So you went and looked by yourself?" snapped Lucy, and Levy flung an accusing finger at her.

" –and it was nothing more than a nasty rat, Miss 'Can-We-Keep-the-Dragons-I-Found-In-the-Basement!"

Lucy cleared her throat, flushing a little in embarrassment. Levy snorted in pride; she knew she was right, and if Lucy wanted to pretend that it hadn't happened, then she thought wrong. Levy still wasn't entirely sure how she felt about people like all of these dragons living with them – particularly the new ones. She had a nice big scar on her thigh because of them.

Pushing those negative thoughts away from her, she said, "I'll start making dinner in that case. Really, Lucy, you ought to take a turn with that. It's not fair that I'm the one doing all of the cooking." It was said teasingly, of course, and Lucy knew it from the playful pout that appeared on her lips.

"It's not my fault I was trained how to throw a party instead of how to cook the food for one," Lucy sang back as she always did, writing something else done. "See if those two," she jabbed at Sting and Rogue, "know anything about cooking."

Levy knew precisely what she was up to, but she wasn't entirely sure she wanted to spend that kind of time with Rogue and Sting just yet. Still, Levy didn't know how to say anything without upsetting the two, for she didn't want to do that, so she waved at Sting. "Well? C'mon." She glanced at Gajeel with a scowl. "Are you coming, too?"

He grinned widely, if only to annoy her. "Yeah."

Levy sighed and turned away.

* * *

At promptly six o' clock in the evening, one of the double front doors to the mansion opened and a voice called, "Lucy? Levy?"

Lucy had never been more amused by the way the four dragons in view _scattered_, just as they had the last time Gray had come by. They were still like scared cats. One moment, they were there. The next, they were gone, vanishing into the depths of their home to wait to be called upon. Likely the second story, where Levy had recommended they hang out until they called for the dragons. Well, the original trio were waiting. Sting and Rogue were still reluctant to even think about entertaining guests just yet.

Even Levy was stifling her giggles when Lucy called back, "Hey, Gray! Come on up!"

There were loud footsteps, and then Gray and the red-haired Erza were emerging. Gray cast a quick look around the Common Room, having been there before, but Erza was looking around with awe on her face. Lucy and Levy exchanged amused looks. Erza clearly liked their living place, though Lucy doubted she'd ever admit it. Nevertheless, it was a good sign. The pair appeared to be in decent moods if not good ones, which would likely help their situation.

Dropping her voice, Lucy said, "Still explaining and then showing, right?"

Levy nodded curtly. "I think Erza would kill them if we showed them first," she admitted with a hint of a grin. Lucy laughed softly before rocking to her feet.

"It's been a while," said Erza warmly when she stepped forward to tug Lucy into a hug. Lucy hissed in pain when she was nearly crushed in the process. She loved Erza. Erza's hugs, however, not so much. The woman was anything but aware of how much her hugs hurt. "I thought you'd never invite us over to see your new home. It's very lovely."

"Thanks," Levy said. She ran a hand through her messy blue hair. "Anyways, dinner's ready, but…" She glanced at Lucy, making a small gesture. Lucy had been the one to bring them all there, so Lucy would be the one to explain.

Before Lucy could begin, however, Erza brightened. "I've not had the chance to eat yet today. Where's your kitchen? I'll help bring out the meal and we can eat together while we talk about whatever it is you wanted to discuss with us." Without waiting for an answer, she started forward, her dark eyes cheerful. She disappeared down the hall.

Sighing heavily, Lucy said to Levy, "I'll help out since you cooked."

"Thanks," Levy replied with a flash of teeth. "Come on, Gray, you and I can go sit down…"

Lucy hurried after Erza, catching up quickly. She didn't dare leave Erza alone in the mansion. Not only did she worry that one of the dragons would show up simply by accident - especially since two of them were rather bad at following directions - but they didn't know yet if there were yet others that were waiting to be discovered somewhere. It wasn't safe to be alone.

Lucy thought that rather sad, actually.

They couldn't even feel safe in their own home.

"You have a beautiful home," Erza told Lucy, gracing her with a gentle smile. "Gray told me about it when we were on our way over, but to see it in person is entirely different. I did notice the damage though...the doors are barely on their hinges and in pieces and there are some parts," she pointed down the hall at a piece of ceiling that had collapsed, "that could with some immediate fixing. Is it safe for you to live here?"

Lucy winced, knowing precisely what had done that damage. "Yes. We're going to have it fixed in the next few days. It'll be expensive though." She sighed heavily. "Here's the kitchen," she added, pointing, and Erza ducked into the said room - only to stop dead in her tracks so that Lucy almost crashed into her. "Erza, what are you-"

She stopped, too, her mouth dropping open.

Staring at them wide-eyed from beside the counters that held the meal for that night was none other than one Natsu Dragneel. He'd already pried into one of the roasts they'd prepared, and his mouth was shoved full of food. His onyx eyes had sprung wide when they stepped into the room. He'd lost his shirt somewhere - much like Gray, Lucy couldn't help but think with exasperation - but didn't seem to mind despite the fact that some lingering red scales still dotted his flesh.

He suddenly narrowed his eyes, growling deeply at Erza like some kind of guard dog, and Erza recoiled in shock at the sound, horrified. His eyes became angry slits. Flames curled at the corners of his mouth as he bared his teeth. "Who the hell are you?" barked Natsu.

"Lucy," Erza said, rising to her full height and glowering at Natsu. He had the good sense to drop the glare and look a little more wary of her. "I believe there is an intruder in your home."

Lucy merely buried her face in her hands and found that she wanted to cry. "Natsu, you were supposed to go _upstairs _with the others!" she cried.

"I was hungry," he answered defensively, snapping his teeth in agitation.

"We're going to eat in like _ten _minutes," she retorted. "You couldn't wait that long?"

He blinked at her in bewilderment. "How long is that?" Natsu asked, and Lucy only whined wordlessly in exasperation once more before shouting for Levy.

* * *

_Some of the old IT resurfacing because I couldn't just not use the introduction of the dragons to Erza and Gray. ;) _

_Thanks for your patience as well as to reviewers (s__tranger1999, savwafair, Meow Orbit, LePengwen, jules828, CrazyZaika, Bakers28, valerioux, HellsAngel0816, Lissuin, Jozanimelover, AnzuxX, and Guest #1) and those who favorited and followed!_


	10. Chapter 10

Levy's dark eyes darted between Gray, Erza, and Natsu. Natsu, to his credit, appeared to know he'd made his appearance sooner than they would have liked, for he was rocking uncomfortably, his lips pressed into a hard line. He kept looking between Gray and Erza nervously and suspiciously, as if expecting them to do something that would give him reason to attack.

Levy didn't know why Lucy had left _her _in charge of this situation while she grabbed food from the kitchens, brought it to the Common Room, and reluctantly summoned Wendy and Gajeel to join them. The pair had figured that they might as well bring out the other two since Natsu had ruined the surprise and make themselves comfortable in the living room area rather than at the dining table. While Natsu didn't mind Levy, he appeared to listen far more to Lucy and took care to follow her instructions to the letter. Which was _why_ he was likely sat there as he was.

Erza was a mixture of angry and confused, while Gray looked just downright shocked, his gaze lingering on the few red scales that still bristled upon Natsu's flesh. Finally, sounding a little awkward, Gray said hoarsely, "So this is why you guys got the mattresses?"

Levy smiled sheepishly. "Yes. They needed beds. We'll explain, I promise. Lucy's just getting the other two."

"There's _more_?" rasped Erza. Levy made a noise and waved her off, figuring Lucy could explain since all of this had initially been Lucy's idea.

"Natsu," said Levy quietly when she saw smoke beginning to curl from his mouth. "Not now." Natsu snapped his mouth shut, the smoke lazily drifting out of existence, and frowned at her a little, as if he'd not thought he was doing anything wrong. The look on Gray's face told Levy that maybe they'd ended up pushing things far too quickly. She considered the idea of telling him sooner rather than later that Juvia might be involved with everything, too, but decided against it.

That was a completely different matter that needed to be handled a little differently.

"Natsu!" trilled Wendy as she quite suddenly trotted into the Common Room, her dark eyes wide with annoyance that made Levy chuckle. It was rare that Wendy displayed such things. "We _told_ you to wait!"

Gajeel followed her, already snickering, and it made Levy want to slap him. Something she felt quite often, although she couldn't say she entirely disliked him after the fierceness with which he'd ensured she was okay after Rogue and Sting's attack. He wasn't _too_ bad. Annoying, but good at heart, she supposed.

Erza's gaze had widened when she'd seen Wendy, but now it became wary when she looked at Gajeel, easily picking out who the biggest threat of the newcomers was. There was also a calculating look to her, as she judged what was going on and decided how to handle it immediately. The scarlet-haired woman decided that the situation wasn't _too_ dangerous yet and remained quiet, Levy decided.

Gray, however, exploded. "How many of them _are_ there?" he demanded loudly, glaring at Lucy as she joined them and then Levy.

Lucy gave a sheepish smile. "Five?"

"_Five_?" he echoed. "So where are the other two?"

Deciding that she and Erza would be the ones that would calmly lead this situation and keep it civil, Levy sighed, "They have their reasons for not coming out just yet. I'm sure if you come around often enough, you'll see them before long." She saw Lucy fidgeting and hoped that the blonde hadn't gotten her hopes up too high. She had far too much faith in the likes of Gray, who looked as if he was going to internally combust. She couldn't blame him, actually, for Natsu was calmly puffing smoke around his face again. She didn't think the poor guy even knew he was doing it. He was simply used to living in it.

Erza's eyes rested on each of the three dragons, one by one as Lucy named them for them. Gajeel was squinting at her thoughtfully, as if he was trying to recall something. Wendy was eyeing Gray nervously as she skittered over to the safety that Levy provided, immediately perching herself on the couch between Levy and Natsu. Natsu was now making a face at Gray, and Levy got the feeling that Gray had the same instinctual desire to punch him as she felt whenever Gajeel gave her _that look_.

After ushering Gajeel closer, Lucy said hesitantly, "I know it's...weird, but we thought we could use both of your help. We've...well, the situation is getting a bit out of hand after last night, and we can't do it on our own anymore." _Especially since her father was involved,_ Levy silently tacked on for her. "And we think there's a bit more to the situation itself than we thought initially."

"Like?" challenged Gray, clearly in a rather bad mood about having such a thing sprung on him. "I've got enough on my plate without this kind of thing, Lucy."

Levy grimaced, knowing that Gray normally wasn't so aggressive about such matters. On a normal day, he would have been annoyed, but would have been entirely willing to help Lucy out. He must have had some nasty news or something similar be given to him before he'd come. Levy thought he might have even heard that they were officially moving on from Juvia's case.

Lucy looked hurt, and Natsu puffed up angrily when he noticed. When Gajeel and Wendy noticed, they, too, looked angry with Gray for upsetting her. Levy arched a brow when she saw how all three glowered angrily at Gray. At least they liked the hands that fed them, she supposed, though their actions during Sting and Rogue's attack had proved as much already.

Erza grimaced, exchanging a look with Levy. Deciding the pair of them were going to be the calm ones who mediated the attitudes between everyone else, Levy said carefully, "We're aware. It's why we brought you in, too. Otherwise it would have been just Erza, Gray. Anyways, this is Natsu," she pointed to the smoking man, "and Gajeel," she pointed to Gajeel, "and the one right here," she dropped her hand on Wendy's head playfully, "is Wendy. Sting and Rogue are upstairs, but are still figuring out things for themselves, and didn't feel comfortable meeting with you."

Erza straightened. "Sting and Rogue...would they by chance be Sting Eucliffe and Rogue Cheney, the two that went messing from Crocus a few months ago?" Silence fell as they all gawked at Erza, unprepared for such an input. Levy's lips parted after a moment, questions bubbling to her lips, but Natsu interrupted.

"What's Crocus?" He glanced at Lucy for help, but she was distracted by the fact that Erza had known who they were talking about, so Erza took over.

"Crocus," she said softly, "is the capital of Fiore...do you not know such things?" A softened look had appeared in her eyes. Levy guessed that Erza had seen the bits and pieces that Lucy had somehow picked up - the bits and pieces that had drawn her to ask the trio to come and join them rather than leaving them in the dungeon beneath the house.

Levy hated to admit it, but she didn't always see those bits and pieces. Sometimes, like now, she caught glimpses, but…

Shyly, Wendy whispered, peering at her beneath her lashes, "Zeref didn't teach us things like that."

"Zeref?"

"The one who experimented on them," Levy told her quietly, carefully leaving out the bit where Zeref was Natsu's brother. "We think he was behind Rogue and Sting, too." Erza nodded thoughtfully, inclining her head in understanding.

"Hold on a minute," said Gajeel loudly, frustrated. His gaze was filled with increasing agitation. "how the hell do you know they're missing from Crocus? S'a big city...it'd be hard to miss even two people who went missing around the same time. And the police there care, but they don't care enough to keep a case going for so long."

When Erza and Gray stared at him, caught off guard, Levy quickly explained, "Gajeel lived in Magnolia and was taken not too long ago in comparison to Wendy and Natsu. He's been here a few years. And…" She glanced at Gray, faltering. She didn't want to admit it, that Gajeel knew Juvia Lockser. Gray was sensitive about the topic. Either he was the one who brought it up, or you didn't talk about it.

"And what?" demanded Gray, narrowing his gaze suspiciously.

Gajeel caught on himself to what she'd been about to say and wrinkled his nose at Gray. "Hold on, so this is the boyfriend you guys mentioned? The hell possessed her to get involved with someone like him?" He paused, then glanced at Levy, exasperated. "She's not involved with the people I was involved with anymore? You ever hear of Phantom Lord?" he added, turning back to Gray.

Levy was a little troubled by how easily that name rang bells, but said nothing when Gray stilled, his entire body seeming to suddenly radiate anger. He clearly had heard of that name, and he was _not_ pleased that it had been brought up. "What the hell," Gray nearly growled, "do you know about _Phantom Lord_?"

Gajeel grunted, satisfied. "So she still is then?"

"_No_, Juvia's not been around things like that for a very long time, Gajeel," said Levy with a heavy sigh, rubbing her temples. "Gray, Gajeel is an old friend of Juvia's." Gray stared harshly at her, waiting. "We were thinking...well, since Gajeel was taken right out of the streets by Zeref-"

Gray barked out a rather bitter laugh. "You think that this Zeref guy might have something to do with her disappearance? How the hell would he have even made that connection unless someone like him, who claims to be an old friend, would have told him?"

"I don't think Gajeel would have mentioned her to him," said Erza with surprising swiftness, and when Levy shot Gajeel a glance, she didn't blame her. There was a lethal look on Gajeel's face - one that had been there when he'd stared down Rogue. It wasn't a good look. "Rather, it's possible that this Zeref character you mentioned had ties with Phantom Lord itself. Juvia was also a rather big name in the news, having been the one to help me out with them. Did she not mention a few times that there had been a friend who'd one missing several years ago that she wished could help her with it?"

Gajeel clenched his jaw, and Levy felt a little bad for him when she saw a flicker of guilt in his expression. It wasn't his fault he'd missed things like that… She nearly snorted at herself. One second, she wanted to slap him, the next, she felt bad for him.

Gray nodded grudgingly, throwing Gajeel another reproachful look before settling back down.

"It could be my fault," Lucy said quietly, her eyes locked on her fingers as she played with her hands in her lap. "My father...he's involved with it all. He's funding it. He knows who my friends are. He could have suggested that someone needed to make Juvia disappear...for all we know, he could have been angry with her, too. If he has connections with Zeref, then he could have had connections with Phantom Lord, too."

Levy opened her mouth to reassure her otherwise, but Gray said quietly, "Your father is involved?"

"Yes." Lucy bit her lip, looking anxious about it. "And if he's part of the reason Juvia went missing... There might have been a chance before this, but...I can't forgive him for doing _this_ to people. He's helping someone take away their lives and forcing them to live in hiding for no reason other than to try and get me to come home. It's how we met the other two; he basically paid Zeref to turn them into something else so they could be sent to retrieve me like I"m some...some kind of _pet_."

"You could...actually, you can't," muttered Gray, looking more sympathetic than before. Levy was relieved; Gray was rarely easy to tick off, and was a damn good friend of Lucy's. Levy knew that Lucy relied heavily on him and he knew even more about Lucy's situation then Levy did, seeing as how he'd sheltered her for the first few weeks when she'd initially left. "'Cause if you call the police-"

"They find out about the five you're harboring," finished Erza. Her gaze rested on each of the three present. "It was a big risk to bring me into this, Levy, Lucy. You know that I should be telling those in charge."

"We know," Lucy said quietly, hunching her shoulders a little.

Natsu studied her for a moment before suddenly leveling Erza with a narrow-eyed look. "Are you going to tell anyone?" he suddenly asked, bristling. Levy, wary, sat up a little. She knew that Natsu tended to be a little more on the physical side and would likely consider harming Erza if she thought about letting their secret slip.

Much to her relief, however, Erza smiled kindly at him and shook her head. "No," she said firmly. "I will need various excuses, however. Acquiring Juvia's case will be easy, with Gray's insistence having annoyed those above me." She shot Gray a fond look when he snorted. "But I'll need one to dig into Mr. Eucliffe and Mr. Cheney's cases, and then you say you were pulled from the streets, so I can see what I can find on that, Gajeel, but opening a case against your father, Lucy…"

"I know," said Lucy bitterly, scowling. "He has all the money in the world and isn't afraid to use it. You can stay away from that until we think of something. Thank you, Erza." She hesitated, and then said quietly, "I wonder if he'd stop giving money if I-"

"No," said Levy, rocking forward entirely. "Lucy, he won't stop giving money to things like this if you do what he wants. It'll only encourage it, because he'll know it works."

Lucy didn't look convinced and Gajeel frowned a little, as if understanding the situation she was in. Wendy looked a little confused, but said softly, "You wouldn't be able to come back if you do what that man wants, right? I don't think we'd like that, Lucy."

"Yeah." Natsu's eyes were wide, his expression unreadable. "We like your food and stuff. It'd suck if you didn't come back."

Levy snorted softly. She doubted Natsu truly understood what would happen if Lucy were to go home, but Lucy looked happy enough with his concern about the matter, so Levy left it be. Instead, she turned to Erza and Gray, keeping half of her attention on Lucy. "So let's plan this for now: Lucy and I'll keep doing what we've been doing. We've managed to help you three look a little more like the rest of us," she added with a thoughtful glance at the three dragons, remembering when they'd been covered in feathers, scales, and the likes, "so maybe we can do the same for Rogue and Sting." She hesitated, and then asked, "Are you two going to help us?"

"Of course," said Erza. "I already said that I would. Just keep in mind I need to be careful and may be limited in what I can do." She paused, and then mused, "I wonder if Jellal would know anything about the disappearances…"

Gajeel narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously. "You going to go around and tell other people?"

Erza gave him an equally as sharp look, looking impatient. "I have already said that I would not," she said a little coldly, and Gajeel hastily backed off, sensing that it was a bad idea to upset the scarlet-haired woman. "My fiancé has connections with the darker sides of Magnolia and is one of my informants. I can gather information without giving away why I need it; he trusts me enough to do as I ask without questioning it."

The look on Lucy's face nearly made Levy laugh. "Jellal has connections with - when did that happen?"

Levy grinned despite the serious conversation at hand and said almost teasingly, "Lucy, they met through Erza's job, remember?" She'd not known, of course, that Jellal might have been someone that Erza had been hunting down, but it made sense now. She wondered how _that_ had turned around and how Jellal had even ended up involved in the darker parts of Magnolia; she'd met the man several times and found him to be particularly kind and likable.

"Feel free to ask him about disappearances then," Lucy said with a shrug, figuring that it couldn't hurt. "Just be careful about the names that are thrown around." She looked hopefully to Gray, who sighed heavily and rubbed the back of his head.

"Lucy…" he said. "I don't know. I know Juvia could be involved, but I have my family to consider, too, you know? Ur doesn't deserve to have something dangerous dumped on her because of me - not after everything she's done. For me, _and_ for you." Lucy winced, looking inclined to agree. "I won't say anything, and if you need stuff moved around or weird things picked up, I could do that, I guess, but…" His dark eyes slid reluctantly to the frowning dragons. Wendy looked a little upset, which only made Gray look guilty. "Fine," he sighed, changing his mind that easily. "I'll help. But the second anything goes near Ur or Lyon or Ultear-"

"Thank you, Gray," said Levy immediately, cutting him off. "We understand, and we really do appreciate your help. Immensely," she added, firm. They were lucky that Gray was helping them.

Erza smiled warmly at them all and then straightened, throwing her shoulders back. "Now," she declared, and her razor-sharp smile was vicious. "Invite the other two here. I have some questions for them."

* * *

By the time Erza left, she had gathered a decent amount of information, Levy thought. Sting had been incredibly reluctant, but when Levy, who'd gone to fetch him and Rogue, had mentioned that Erza had already known of their disappearance from Crocus, he'd gone along to answer questions, looking embarrassed by the scales that decorated his skin. Rogue had remained hidden, not daring to show himself, but had answered questions when prompted, expressing his gratitude and hope that Erza would find their friend, Yukino Auguria.

Sting knew where each of the people that were involved in this new life were. Well, most of them. With too sharp hearing, he could hear Levy, Gajeel, and Gray working together to figure out how to remove some of the destruction Sting himself had made while chasing Lucy through the mansion. He had no idea where Rogue was, and Natsu and Wendy were muttering to one another as they passed by the kitchen, where Sting was simply listening to everyone and sipping at a glass of water, unhappy and uncertain of what to do.

What he wanted, he knew, more than anything, was to go home. Go home with Rogue to Yukino and some other friends. Go home and hang out in the arcade they'd frequented, though Rogue had always complained about it. Or go out and eat at their favorite burger place, down the street from Yukino's apartment.

He wanted to go _home_.

But this was his home now, he supposed, lifting the glass to his lips.

"Have you seen Lucy?"

Sting nearly dropped his glass in surprise, glancing over to the entrance to the kitchen. Levy was frowning there at him, her head cocked with thought. Sting wrinkled his nose slightly. He liked Levy and Lucy, though he thought they were kind of ridiculously naive. Yukino would have gotten along with them, he couldn't help but think.

Realizing Levy was waiting for his answer, Sting said, "No. Why?" He paused, then added. "Rogue's not around either." It came out in a smaller voice than he would have liked, and a hint of pink rose to his cheeks. He felt alone without Rogue there. They'd been friends for as long as he could remember, and he hated being so vulnerable around virtual strangers, no matter how friendly those strangers were being to him after he'd tried to hurt them.

"I can't find her." Levy frowned. "Let her know I need to talk with her if you see her, could you?"

"Sure," he agreed readily. "I can go look for her. Got nothing else to do."

Levy smiled sweetly at him, one of a few rare genuine smiles he'd gotten from anyone in this mansion. "Thanks, Sting," she said honestly and then disappeared, heading back towards the weird room with the massive tree in it. Sting watched her go and set his glass aside, rolling his shoulders and breathing in.

He went to work, searching. He strolled through what Lucy had told him was the Common Room, and then down the stairs to the still mostly broken doors. His head cocked as he studied the splintered doors. He winced, remembering how much those splintered doors had _hurt_ when he'd struck them.

He swept past them, however, and paused in the entrance to the mansion frowning. He inhaled the fresh breeze happily, though he admittedly missed the nasty smell of the city. Crocus was his _home_. He'd grown up there, with Rogue and Yukino.

Sting rolled his eyes. He was like a child, he thought grouchily as he hopped from the entry to start walking across the grass, letting his feet carry him. He'd find Lucy, and then he'd see if she wanted anything done. He owed her, after what he'd done-

The sound splintered through the air like the crack of a whip and his first instinct was to hit the ground, blue eyes flying wide. His breath came in quick, shallow gasps. He heard a shout of alarm from inside. The sound echoed, reverberating in the air enough to tell him it was some ways away from the mansion.

But what truly worried him was the roar that flooded his eardrums a second later. He knew that roar. He'd heard it time and time again from his cell in that horrible warehouse where Zeref had worked them over.

"_Rogue_," Sting bellowed, throwing himself forward. He darted through the trees that surrounded the building, seething. Rogue had been hurt. But what the hell was Rogue doing all the way out there, so far from the mansion?! He ducked around a particularly thick copse of trees just as a short, shrill scream of terror made him trip, and froze, startled by the sight before him.

_Well,_ he thought wryly. _I found Lucy. _

For there she was, standing in stunned silence, her dark eyes wide, and her blonde hair wild around her head as she braced herself, ready to run if need be. One hand was pressed to an ear, as if the crack of the gun had hurt it. Rogue had arisen from the ground before her, and Sting snarled when he saw the way his friend was struggling harder, glowing eyes blazing with pain as he sank back down, earning another shrill scream from their attacker, who fired off her gun again. Rogue just barely darted aside.

Lucy looked at Rogue's shadowy mass in shock, clearly not having known he was there, and then snapped her dark eyes up when Sting gathered that strange, unnatural power into his jaws. He didn't know where the instinct came from, but it was there.

The woman ripped around, her dark eyes flying wide with astonishment as she gawked at him. Silver glinted in the sunlight and the power died in his throat. Confusion slammed through him. "_Yukino_?!" he choked, and her astonishment was replaced with hatred.

Her gun whipped up and before he'd even thought over what to do, she'd pulled the trigger a third time.

* * *

_Ahhhh sorry about the wait (as always). Hope you all like the big changes? ;) _

_Thanks to reviewers (jules828, Meow Orbit, EverFlawless, madaraswife, Nina of Fairy Tail, Lovetoreadff, stranger1999, FairyTailxFanGirl, FireShifter, Lissuin, HellsAngel0816, mynameisshelby, moonprincess0721, SoulEaterxMakaAlbarn18829, neffateri13, naluobsessed, Koko7180, seireidoragon, ToukaKanekiUlle, and Tatali!) as well as those who favorited and followed!_


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